What the Future Holds
by cncgrad02
Summary: When you're a college senior, the world is at your fingertips and you think you have it all figured out. Just be careful not to let outside forces interfere.
1. Comfort of Home

**Author's Note: Hello, all! Sorry I've been incognito lately. 1) I've had some "personal issues" going on the past couple of months. 2) Because of these "personal issues", I kinda lost my interest in writing and in fanfiction in general. I had started this story a while before these "personal issues" started, then got in the midst of all that stuff, and lost my mojo. But guess what? I've gotten past these "personal issues" and have now gotten my mojo back! **

**Of course, I own nothing- just the plot line. Enjoy and, as always, all reviews are very much appreciated!**

**Chapter 1**

The young couple sat in the living room of their two bedroom apartment- located halfway between the campuses of their opposing colleges. The mood that Thursday evening was a mix between exhaustion and excitement. One half exhausted from a long day of classes and basketball practice, the other excited because her best friend was coming all the way from Yale University in Connecticut during her Spring Break for a six day long visit. The two girls hadn't seen each other since Christmas break and for both, that had been way too long. The male half of the couple gave out a frustrated sigh as his girlfriend of just over five years- five years and one and a half months to be exact- readjusted in her seat for the twelfth time in a half hour, forcing him to also readjust his comfortable position.

"Gabriella-" he started with an annoyed sigh.

"What?" she asked, batting her eyelashes at him in cuteness, knowing exactly what he was going to say.

"Will you just sit still please? I can't concentrate on _Phineas __and __Ferb_," he stated, pointing the remote control in the direction of the television set.

"Troy, I've seen this episode five times and if I've seen it that many, I know you have seen at least that plus five more. Besides, I can't sit still. I'm excited! Do you realize that in fifteen hours we will be-"

"-at the airport, picking Taylor up for her Spring Break visit? Yeah, you may have mentioned that a time or two." His tone was picking, but she was too involved in her excitement to really care.

"Troy! I can't help it! It's been almost three whole months since Taylor and I have seen each other. You and Chad have seen each other way more than we have; you don't understand what it's like and you were making fun of me, weren't you?" she finished accusingly- pointing a finger in his direction- noticing the smirk forming on his face.

"You're cute when you start defending yourself. Is that something you've learned in your fancy pre-law classes?"

"Troy! Stop picking on me! You're excited to see Taylor, too, and you know it. Quit trying to be macho; it's not a good look for you. Why don't you just man up and admit it?"

"I'm sorry, Baby," he said leaning in to place a gentle kiss to her temple. "You're right. I am excited to see her. I just wish I could be here for her whole visit. I hate that I'm leaving Saturday morning."

"I'm sure you and the Bears will do great in the tournament. This is an amazing opportunity for you guys. I wish I could be there for at least one of the games."

"You're always with me at my games," he told her, lovingly running a finger through her dark curls. "Besides, these won't even be real games, so it's no big deal."

"Why does the tournament have to be held all the way across the country at the University of Georgia? Are they even in the same conference?"

"No, but the tournament is kind of a showcase for all the conferences to see what the others have. Every conference is sending their top six teams and we're all playing against each other, double elimination, for no reason other than bragging rights, basically. It's just a fun tournament basically set up for experience, if nothing else."

"So this tournament has nothing to do with the playoffs and such?"

He shook his head before responding. "That's why it's being held at the very end of the season, so none of the games will count for or against the teams."

"It sounds like fun," she said, as she rearranged herself on the couch so she was sitting behind him with her legs on either side of his body so she could gently massage the back of his neck.

"I think it will be. No stress in feeling like we have to prove anything. I almost forgot what playing for fun feels like," he said as he allowed himself to get lost in the ministrations of his girlfriend's hands and let his mind begin to wander to the days of high school when he and his best friends used to get together for a pick-up game of two-on-two in his backyard.

Gabriella could tell that he'd gone back in time, and leaned down to place a comforting kiss to his cheek. Not wanting to bring something up that had caused him so much stress this past year, she tentatively asked the one question that had been plaguing her mind since he came home and announced the tournament.

"Um, Troy?" She waited until she had his attention again before continuing. "Will your knee be okay during the tournament?" She was of course referring to his left knee that he had twisted during the early days of his senior year season.

"Yeah, it'll be fine I think. As long as I keep the brace on it. I mean, it never gave me any trouble through the rest of the season after the two game break the trainers insisted on."

"Troy, they didn't insist on it," she told him pointedly. "If you didn't take the break, your knee could have been much worse and the surgery would have been inevitable and not just a probability. If it had come to that, you wouldn't have been able to play at all during the rest of your senior season and thereby lost your scholarship for the rest of the year."

"I hate it when you turn all attorney on me and make good points," he pouted. "I don't like it when I'm not right."

"I thought you loved it when I turned all attorney on you," she whispered seductively as she leaned closer to trace the shell of his ear with her tongue. There were a few secrets spots that Troy had- Gabriella had many more and he knew every one and took advantage of them every chance he could- his ears being number one. Gabriella took his earlobe between her teeth and grinned when he let out a moan.

"I love it when you turn anything on me," he said as he turned his head and caught her lips with his and initiated a heated kiss, gently pushing so she laid back on the comfy couch and he laid on top of her. He reached down to find the hem of her tee shirt and pushed it up slightly. She moaned in pleasure when his warm hands met her now bare skin and began roaming, working their way further up her body. She was sometimes convinced that his hands had a mind of their own.

The two of them took their physical relationship to the next level only a few months prior, but had already known almost everything about each other's body. They had come close on several occasions, but due to either interruptions from their friends or their parents, or the distance between the two schools, or their schedules in general, their first time making love didn't take place until after they'd moved in with each other.

_Their __parents __understandably __had __reservations __when __the __two __first __sat __down __with __them __during __the __summer __break __prior __to __their __senior __year __to __discuss __getting __an __off __campus __apartment __together. __The __fact __that it was __a __two __bedroom __was __some what __of __a __comfort, __and __it __worked __out __fine __at __first. __Maria __even __took __Gabriella __for __her __first __gynecologist __appointment __after __the __initial __discussion __between __the __five __and __once __the __awkward __exam __was __over, __the __three __sat __in __the __doctor__'__s __office __and __discussed __the __several __options __of __birth __control. __The __female __doctor __was __very __aware __of __Gabriella__'__s __discomfort __and __did __what __she __could __to __make __sure __all __of __her __patient__'__s __questions __were __answered._

_Maria __and __Gabriella __had __talked __and __her __mom __had __faith __in __the __fact __that __her __only __daughter __was __telling __the __truth __when __she __admitted __that __she __and __her __long-time __boyfriend __had __yet __to __take __that __step __fully. __Maria __did __feel __better __about __them __moving __in __together __knowing __that __even __if __they __did __decide __they __were __ready, __Gabriella __would __be __protected __and __she __wasn__'__t __afraid __to __talk __about __that __with __the __young __couple. __She __made __sure __that __Troy__'__s __parents __were __involved __in __the __conversation, __as __well. __Even __though __Troy __and __Gabriella __were __embarrassed __by __the __talk, __they __also __knew __that __they __would __have __to __endure __said __embarrassment __if __their __parents __were __going __to __agree __to __them __getting __an __apartment._

_Three weeks later, Troy and Gabriella had found an apartment that they agreed upon and their parents came to see it in person- another clause the couple had to follow. The young adults had assured their parents that one room would be Troy's while the other would be Gabriella's. After gaining the approval of the three parents, the decision was made, the papers were signed, and they moved in one and a half weeks before classes started after the summer break._

_After about one month of suffering through the sexual tension, the young couple finally threw caution to the wind and allowed themselves to get lost in the moment. At first, Gabriella was shy and reserved, but she eventually realized that the phrase "practice makes perfect" actually held some truth. The decision was soon made that Gabriella's room would be the "guest room" and Troy's would be "their room"- only because he had a bigger bed and it was more comfortable for them to sleep in together- unless their parents were visiting. Good thing for the pull out couch that Gabriella's aunt and uncle had given them…_

Without thinking and acting purely from experience, Troy scooped Gabriella up into his arms and carried her into "their" bedroom and continued their practice session. Groans and moans and other pleasure sounds filled the room. The two had enough experience with each other's bodies by this point in time that they knew the exact movements, the exact spots, to make their love making sessions last. Troy's hands moved to her breasts, squeezing and kneading through her lacy bra, while her hands worked their way under his shirt and she dug her nails into his back, expressing her satisfaction. As his hands reached around her back and unhooked her bra, she reached down to unbutton his jeans. His mouth moved southward and took the place of his hands, as his tongue circled around her aureola before settling over her nipple. The faint beard that was growing through the skin of his face tickled her, but Gabriella managed to keep her giggles under control. As she arched her back in pleasure and reached for his zipper, the mood was interrupted by the ringing of the phone out in the living room.

"Are you serious?" she cried in frustration, slamming her hands down on the mattress. "I thought we got passed all the interruptions."

Troy chuckled, knowing all too well how right she was. "Don't move. I'll go get it." Troy gave Gabriella a brief kiss and stood from his spot on the bed. He walked into the other room and answered the phone as he heard her voice call out behind him.

"If it's Chad, tell him his number of death threats has increased significantly!" As Gabriella tried to listen to what she could hear of his end of the conversation, she stood from the bed and walked into the closet, changing from her leggings and tunic top that she wore to class that day and put on her pajamas. She then walked down the hall and into the kitchen with the purpose of finding something to fix for dinner. Settling on spaghetti, she pulled a pot from the cabinet and put some water in it, setting it on the stove to boil before walking back into the living room and sitting on the couch next to Troy.

"So we need to be at the athletic center at 8:00 on Saturday morning?… Where specifically?… Okay. And we're taking the team bus to the airport, right?… Alright, Man, thanks for calling. I'll see you then… Okay, thanks. Bye." As Troy hit the 'end' button on the cordless phone, he turned and took in Gabriella's appearance. "I thought I told you not to move?" It was at that exact moment that his stomach decided to noisily make its presence known.

"And that is the reason I did!" Gabriella told him as she poked him in the stomach and rolled her eyes. She stood from the couch and walked into the kitchen to check on the water and Troy followed suit. He walked in just in time to see her pulling another pot from the cabinet, place it on the stove, and walk to the pantry closet to get a jar of sauce.

"Spaghetti?" he asked, excited.

"Yeah, I figured it's quick and easy. Especially since we have to get up early tomorrow to go to the airport. Do you want to get one of the garlic breads out of the freezer?" she asked with her back to him. When she turned back around, she took notice of the two loaves he pulled out.

"Two, Troy? Really?"

"I'm hungry?" He shrugged his shoulders, hoping it sounded convincing to her. Instead she just shook her head and held up one finger. "Aw, man!" he said, defeated.

"And if you keep that up, you can go to bed with no dessert tonight," she told him, scolding him as if he were a little child. "I swear, how did your mother keep you fed growing up? You and your dad are bad enough, but throw her other three pseudo sons in the mix…" she let her voice trail off as a smile made its way to her lips as she of course referred to Troy's friends since childhood: Chad, Jason, and Zeke.

"Yeah, trips to the grocery store were pretty much a daily activity for poor Mom. I think they knew her by name at the Food Lion!"

The two of them finished their dinner preparations and then settled on the couch with their plates. They participated in their usual Thursday night activity of arguing over what movie to watch, and finally decided on _Up __in __the __Air_. When it was over, they cleaned the kitchen and made their way into the bedroom. Once Troy finished in the bathroom and settled under the covers, Gabriella took her turn getting ready for bed- washing the day's makeup off her face, taking out her contacts, and brushing her teeth. While he waited, Troy grabbed the remote control off the bedside table and turned on the television set his parents bought for "his" bedroom when they moved into the apartment, quickly changing the channel from Gabriella's beloved E! Network to his ESPN. As she came from the bathroom with her glasses on and was greeted by the familiar sight, she shook her head.

"What was that look for?" he asked, as he held the covers back for her to climb under and then adjusted his position so she could get comfortable, tightening his arm around her shoulders as he leaned down to place a kiss against her temple.

"We're not even married and yet I'm already an ESPN widow," she commented in jest, as she snuggled closer into him, leaning up to place soft kisses along his jaw line.

"Get used to it, Baby. This is what the future holds for you."

"Yeah, I'll believe that when the ring finally appears on my finger," she responded- half joking, half serious.

Troy looked down into her brown eyes lovingly. "Gabriella, we've talked about this. We're okay with waiting until we graduate and both have decent jobs before we really get engaged. Right?"

Gabriella gave a half smile in return. Biting back the words that had been rolling around in her mind for a while, she said the only thing she could say without causing a full blown discussion on the topic. "Yeah."

"Good. Because I love you and I can't wait until the day that I can put a ring on your finger and we can spend the rest of our lives together," he said, as he leaned down and gave her a deep kiss- one that he hoped would invite her to pick up where they left off earlier before they were interrupted. As she brought her leg over his and intertwined their bodies, he knew it wouldn't take long for them to tire each other out.

It was nights like this when the two slept their best- after a much enjoyable session of loving each other, especially when their all too hectic schedules made it very difficult for them to find even five minutes alone. They both knew that going into the final semester of their college years, their sanity would be stretched to the limit- Troy with his senior season of basketball and the demanding courses that came with his psychology major, including his research assistant position that the department required, and Gabriella with her applications to law school, which for her included studying for the LSAT that she was scheduled to take later in the month.

As Gabriella arched her back at the pleasured strokes of Troy's fingers and took his thrusts the way she loved them- loving and gentle, yet almost animalistic at the same time- she rolled her hips to one side the way she knew would cause him to roll his eyes back in ecstasy. Just seeing the satisfied look come across his face caused her to reach down and stroke him, the way he was her. She smiled slyly as she watched his mouth open with in a silent cry of ecstasy.

"Come on, Wildcat. Let it all out," she whispered breathily in his ear as she bit down on his earlobe before lapping it into her mouth. She felt him throb inside her in response and she tightened her inner muscles around him, bringing her knees as close against his back as she could, causing him to penetrate deeper. Troy increased his speed of his thrusts and strokes, while letting her deep sighs of gratification and his moans of pleasure bounce off the walls of the bedroom. The two quickly reached their peaks together and Gabriella gripped onto the sheets beneath her, writhing as the familiar fireworks exploded within her body. Troy let the exhaustion overtake his body and he gently lowered himself on top of her, peppering her face, neck, and collarbone with gentle kisses, causing her to release her giggles as he purposefully tickled her body with his beard.

"Do you know how much I love you?" he asked her as he rolled onto his side and propped himself up on his elbow, looking down at her lovingly. "I know this semester has been crazy already and it won't get better until we graduate, but I just want you to know that I love you."

"I know you do, Troy. I love you, too," she reassured him as she brushed a sweaty lock of hair from his eyebrow. "I know that no matter how crazy things get for us, we're going to make it. It's going to be stressful, but we just need to promise that we won't let it get to us. We'll be okay through everything."

"Yeah, we will be," Troy promised her as he settled under the covers and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close as she let a small yawn escape, covering her mouth as she tried to hide it. He chuckled when he saw this. "Get some sleep, Babe. We've got an early day tomorrow because-"

"-we're going to the airport to pick up Taylor!" she exclaimed as she found the energy to bounce in excitement.

Troy just shook his head at his girlfriend's actions. "You're so cute when you're excited," he said as he reached over to make sure the alarm was set and turned the light off, cozying up next to her once more. He placed a kiss on her cheek as he told her "Good night, Babe," followed by another sweet kiss, this time to her lips.

"Good night, Troy," she responded, as she stifled another yawn before letting her body be overtaken by sleep.

As he watched her drift off to sleep, all he could think about was their future and how badly he wished he could propose. They had discussed that option in full detail and while Gabriella had her own opinions, she kept those opinions to herself. She was afraid of coming across as being "one of those girls" who came to college to find a husband, and didn't want Troy to see her that way- never mind they had been together since their junior year of high school. She did however know that she loved him with all her heart and wanted nothing more than to take on his name as her own and be the loving, supportive wife that she knew he deserved. The kind of wife that Lucille was to Jack and that she remembered Maria being to her own father years before. She wanted nothing more than to be engaged to Troy and planning a wedding with him. Convincing him of that was the hard part and she didn't want to scare him away. For that reason, she decided to push those thoughts to the back of her mind and reassure him that she was fully happy with their current situation, so she reluctantly went along with his feelings when he suggested that the timing was just not right.

He however, knew that they were in a very stressful time in school and it would only get worse before it got better. He didn't want to be one of those couples who were engaged for two years if not longer. He knew he was in no position to take on the adult role of being solely responsible for Gabriella and her well-being, both emotionally and financially. Troy wasn't stupid. He saw it as trying to prove to her mother that he was responsible; he wanted to show her he was stable before even announcing to her her that she would be helping her only child plan a wedding.

If only there was some way each half of the couple could make the other see their side of things without upsetting each other…

These are the thoughts that plagued both of their minds every night as they fell asleep, wrapped in each other's arms, and tonight was certainly no different.


	2. Reconnecting

**A portion of this chapter is dedicated to a very close friend. Thanks for the sharing your personal experience and allowing me to use it in this story!**

**Chapter****2**

The next morning, the peaceful feeling the two had reached while snuggled within the confines of the bed was rudely interrupted by the blaring of the alarm clock. Troy reached his hand out and gave it a hard smack, knocking it off the bedside table to the floor in the process of his struggle to find the right button. He rolled over and rubbed his eyes before he turned to focus on his girlfriend, who still fast asleep. He watched the gentle rise and fall of her chest and couldn't help but notice how beautiful she looked lying next to him, one arm tucked under the pillow that had her dark brown curls spread across it while the other grasped onto the blankets, pulling them as far up to her chin as she could while trying to keep her nearly naked body warm from the cool early March air that seeped in through the window panes. He couldn't help but run a finger across her barely visible shoulder and watched as her body gave out a slight tremble in automatic response. He didn't know if the tremble was a blissful one, or if it was due to the chill in the air, but he found it cute and sexy at the same time. He just couldn't resist leaning down and following the path of his finger with his lips and listened as a small moan escaped from her lips.

_She __could __sleep __through __an __earthquake __if __one __were __to __hit __San __Francisco_, he thought with a smirk and a roll of his eyes. That was one of the many differences between them. In addition to the fact that- because of her petite size- Gabriella always needed all the covers that were available while his body temperature sky rocketed causing him to sweat bullets under just a sheet, Troy was the world's lightest sleeper- even the slightest creak of the floors in the apartment below them would wake him up- and he was amazed to find out that she was able to sleep through one of the heaviest thunderstorms that Albuquerque had ever seen during the latter part of their senior year at East High, causing her to almost be late to school the next day.

Troy decided to get a quick shower before he began the impossible task of trying to wake his girlfriend. As much as he dreaded the chore, he knew it had to be done if they were going to make it to the airport on time to meet Taylor at the baggage claim area and not make her have to wait. Her flight was set to arrive at 9:15 Pacific time- meaning they had to leave their apartment no later than 8:30- and it was currently 6:46. That left Troy seven minutes for both his shower and his attempt to wake Gabriella from her deep slumber if she was going to be ready in time. Shaking his head at the mere thought, he made his way from under the covers and into the bathroom. The water served its purpose of waking him up fully and once his hair and body were clean and he stepped from the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist, he was surprised to find the bed completely empty.

"Babe?" he called out. When he got no answer, he tried again. "Brie? Where are you?"

After still no answer, he furrowed his eyebrows in confusion and made his way through the apartment searching for her. He smelled the coffee as it brewed and rolled his eyes when he finally found her right where he thought she would be- laying on the couch wearing his old Wildcats tee shirt with her eyes closed.

"Gabriella!" he called, raising his voice slightly.

"Mmmmm…" she moaned without opening her eyes.

He smirked as an idea formed in his mind. "I'm leaving to go pick up Taylor. We'll be back soon."

"Wait!" she yelled as she jumped from the couch. "Just give me five minutes and I'll be ready!"

She began to run down the hall in the direction of the bedrooms and stopped in her tracks halfway to her destination when she heard his laughter follow her. His laughter faltered when she turned on her heels and slowly walked back to him, looking up in his face while poking a finger at his still bare chest and shooting daggers. "Why are you so cruel to me in the mornings, Bolton?" she demanded through gritted teeth. "Don't you know yet that I'm not functional until I've had-"

"- a shower and about five cups of coffee? One would think that I should know that by now," he told her with a smirk and a shake of his head. "I've been a bad boy. I deserve to be punished."

She narrowed her eyes in anger, although he knew better than to worry about it. "Don't mess with me right now!" she warned as she spun on her heel and stormed into the bedroom, slamming the door behind her and clicking the lock.

"Good morning!" he called out through the closed bedroom door with a smile playing at his lips, deciding to see exactly how far he could push it- knowing that she would be back to her normal chipper self in about fifteen minutes.

"Whatever!" was her muffled reply.

He stood outside the door until he heard the shower turn on and the shower curtain slide closed signifying that it was safe before he used the tiny key above the door frame to quietly open the door and walk in. He walked over to the dresser and pulled out a pair of boxer briefs and then to the closet and pulled out his favorite pair of jeans and slipped them both on. He then exited the bedroom and made his way back into the kitchen to make two cups of coffee. He took a sip from one and carried the other back into the steamed bathroom and set it on the counter next to the sink. As Gabriella continued her shower, he went back into the bedroom and turned on the television and rolled his eyes as he changed the station to the HLN morning news that he knew she liked to have on while she got ready.

"If one didn't know better, they'd think we were already married," he mumbled to himself. As he pulled a tee shirt from the dresser and pulled it over his head, he noticed that the water was turned off. A minute and a half later, he felt a pair of lips on his covered back and looked at her over his shoulder, noticing the life that had appeared in her deep chocolate brown eyes. That was the Gabriella he knew and loved more than anything.

"Good morning," she said with a smile in her voice as she took what he knew all too well was probably her fourth or fifth sip from her coffee cup. He leaned down to give her a kiss on her cheek.

"Good morning again," he said as she turned her lips to meet his.

"Was I crabby this morning?" He chuckled at the cute way she crinkled her nose as she asked.

"You? Crabby? No, Baby, never," he lied in exaggeration.

"I'm sorry," she said in a small voice. He leaned in to give her a kiss on her lips that were stuck out in what he thought was an adorable pout.

"For what?" he asked with laughter in his voice. "For your routine that I've come to be so very used to?" He continued to laugh and managed to duck as she reached her arm out to smack him. He caught her arm mid swing and turned her towards the closet. "Go. Get dressed. We have an hour before we have to leave."

"To go get Taylor!" she said as she bounced in the direction of the closet.

"Yes, to go get Taylor. But if you don't hurry, then she'll be forced to catch a ride from the Troy Bolton Taxi Service and I don't know if she's quite ready for that kind of 'Welcome to San Francisco' just yet."

And that was all the encouragement she needed to rush and finish getting ready.

**TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF**

The two waited at the baggage claim area of American Airlines, one sitting patiently in a nearby chair and the other pacing back and forth anxiously.

"What's the deal?" she asked for about the twelfth time in the past half an hour, throwing her hands up in the air in frustration. "Why is she not here yet?"

"Babe," Troy spoke up without humor, "it was announced forty-five minutes ago that her layover in Dallas was delayed. She should be here in about-" he paused to check the watch that he wore around his wrist- "thirty minutes. Why don't you sit down while we wait?"

"She needs to be here," Gabriella said with an exaggerated mock pout on her face.

Troy looked up from the game of Tetris he was playing on his phone and gave out a patient sigh. "Brie, it's not her fault that a towel from some catering trailer whatever ended up in the air something of the plane. Will you just have a seat and calm down?"

"I'm sorry, I'm just excited to see her. It's been-

"-almost three months. You two have gone longer than that before."

"You make it sound like we have a sexual relationship and are going through a dry spell. Why does everything from you sound sexual?"

"Because you love me," he responded with the childlike grin that Gabriella had grown to love over the years.

Gabriella let out a frustrated sigh and reluctantly sat down beside Troy. "I'm acting like a child, aren't I?"

"Yeah, but it's cute." Troy looked at Gabriella as she narrowed her eyes at him and let out a small chuckle. "Babe, I know you're excited. I'm actually excited to see Taylor, too, believe it or not. I wish I didn't have to leave tomorrow morning."

Gabriella wrapped her small hands as far around his bicep as she could and rubbed them up and down his arm. "You've never spent time with her away from Chad, have you?"

"You know, now that I think about it, no we haven't. She and I have known each other since we were nine when she and her family moved to Albuquerque and she was in my fourth grade class. But we never did run in the same circles until you came along." He gave her a gentle nudge as she smiled.

"Gee, no pressure or anything," she joked, giving him a wink.

"Hey, I just remembered. I got a text from Andy a little bit ago," he told her, referring to his roommate from his first three years at Berkeley before he and Gabriella moved in together. He reached up and scratched at the fuzz that barely covered his face as he spoke again. "He and Matt are having a little party tonight at their place. Do you think Taylor would want to go and meet some of our friends? We wouldn't be able to stay long; we'll all have to get up early tomorrow morning to be at the Student Center on time."

"She might. We'll ask when she gets here."

The two sat for a few more minutes before Gabriella stood and excused herself to the bathroom. When she came back, she saw Troy standing near the baggage carousel that matched Taylor's flight. Gabriella walked to his left side and put her arms around his waist as he rested his across her shoulders pulling her closer to his side. The two stood in their embrace- lost in the bubble of bliss and ignoring the outside world completely- for several minutes before Gabriella's phone started to ring from inside her purse. She pulled back from his embrace to answer without checking the caller id as the sounds of "Never Underestimate a Girl"- her personalized ring tone for Taylor- sounded through the air.

"What's happening now?" she said to the person on the other end.

"_Will __the __two __of __you __un-pretzel-ize __yourselves __and __give __me __the __proper __'Welcome __to __San __Francisco' __that __I __deserve?"_ the person on the other end demanded.

Gabriella turned her attention to Troy with a smirk. "I didn't realize Sharpay was coming. She sure has toned down her diva tendencies," she said loud enough to be heard through the phone lines.

"_I __heard __that __and __I __resent __it. __Why __don't __you __turn __around, __Smartie?"_

Gabriella turned around to see her dark skinned best friend coming down the escalator. The two girls captured the attention of all the passersby in San Francisco International Airport as they released an excited squeal and ran toward each other, meeting halfway. After the initial hugs and excited bounces, they finally made their way back to Troy who was waiting patiently for the two girls to calm down so he could have his turn to give Taylor a hug of his own.

"Hey, Taylor," he spoke, finally drawing her attention to him.

"Oh, Troy. I almost didn't recognize you without a petite brunette draped all over you or a basketball in your hands," she teased.

"If only you'd been here five minutes ago," he joked back.

"What? You had a basketball?"

"Is that what they call me these days?" Gabriella piped up.

"No, Baby. You're more than just a basketball to me," he said as he leaned down placing a brief kiss to her lips.

"Excuse me. I'm still here!" Taylor exclaimed, waving her arms in the air to bring the attention back to her. "I just got here and don't plan to leave for-" she paused checking her watch"- about one hundred fifty-seven hours and forty-five minutes. That would be exactly six and a half days, for some of us," she said, sending a pointed look in Troy's direction.

"Why must you two always show off your insanely crazy math brains?" Troy asked.

"And speaking of not recognizing you, what is this?" Taylor asked, pointing to his cheek.

"Yeah, what do you think? It's for the play we're working on at school," he told her, as he rubbed a hand across his face.

Taylor turned her attention to Gabriella, raising her eyebrows in silent question.

"What?" Gabriella asked.

"What he thinks about it doesn't matter. Rule number seven… the girlfriend always has the final say in appearances."

Taylor turned her attention to Troy when she heard him muttering under his breath. "You and your stupid boyfriend rules…"

After giving him a brief glare, she then looked back in Gabriella's direction. "Well?" she prompted her.

"It grows on you after a while."

Taylor reached up to cup Troy's chin in her hand, and looked back at Gabriella. "Seriously?" she asked her. "It doesn't bug you?"

"It was itchy at first whenever we would kiss, but now it's just soft and kind of tickles," she said, giving Troy a grin. Troy took his cue and leaned down to give his girlfriend a kiss, causing Gabriella to let out a giggle. The two just knew they were getting under Taylor's skin, and they were loving every minute of it.

The three shared a brief laugh before Troy turned the conversation serious again.

"Hey, Taylor, it's like 1:45 your time. Are you hungry?"

"I'm starved!" she said.

"Why don't the two of you get her suitcase and I'll go pull the car around?" Troy suggested. "We'll go get something to eat and then head back to the apartment so Taylor can get settled."

As the three parted ways, Taylor and Gabriella walked closer to the luggage carousel and Troy walked out into the parking garage. Taylor watched as he walked out the door and when she was content that he couldn't see or hear them anymore, she immediately reached for Gabriella's left hand and began running her thumb across the top of Gabriella's ring finger.

"What are you doing?" Gabriella asked with her eyebrows scrunched in confusion.

"Well, Mr. Boyfriend is about to leave for almost a whole week to go all the way to the other side of the country. I was just checking to see if he's staked a claim on you yet or not."

Gabriella reached up to finger the T necklace that she had been wearing since high school and gently played with it. "Ha ha, Tay. That's very funny," she deadpanned, trying to cover up that she was hiding something.

Taylor sighed before taking Gabriella's hand in her own. "Listen, Honey, we've laughed about this off and on for how many years now? I just want to make sure the joke's not on you," she softly told her 'sister'.

"You're nuts, Tay. This is Troy we're talking about… me and Troy. You know I don't need a ring to know that I'm his."

"Well I just thought he would have come up with something more than a necklace from high school to show you that he's got the future on his mind." Gabriella rolled her eyes at the familiar conversation that she and Taylor seemed to have every time they talked over the past few months. Taylor grabbed her bag from the moving carousel and turned back around to notice the fed up look on Gabriella's face. She slowly re-approached Gabriella and gently nudged her in the shoulder with her own. Gabriella turned to face Taylor once more.

"We're sharing an apartment now, Taylor. And, not that you don't already know this, we are also sharing a bed. I'm pretty positive that Troy and I both have the future on our minds."

At the last statement, Taylor glanced up to see Troy standing nearby. She lowered her voice so only Gabriella could hear.

"And you don't need proof that he's thinking the same thing?"

"Nope, no proof needed at this point in time. He proves it to me every time we make love, Taylor. That means more than any ring ever will." Gabriella noticed Taylor looking over her shoulder and turned to see Troy standing next to the door. She quickly moved to stand in front of him and placed both of her hands on either side of his face, bringing his lips down to meet hers in a heartfelt kiss, working to keep it from getting too deep and passionate right there in the middle of the airport. She pulled away, meeting Troy's eyes but still leaving him confused, then turned around to face Taylor. Gabriella lifted her arms in the air and shot Taylor a simple look that said 'There's your proof. Are you happy now?' . Gabriella then turned on her heel and led the way out of the airport, leaving Troy and Taylor to share a look with each other.

"What was that all about?" he asked.

"I… um… I- I'm not quite sure," Taylor stammered.

"Somehow I don't believe that," he told her. "But I'm willing to let it go for Brie's sake. Come on, let's go eat."

Once the three of them climbed in Gabriella's gray Hyundai Santa Fe and fastened their seat belts, they drove to Red Robin in San Mateo and settled in the booth the hostess led them to. With their drinks in front of them, Gabriella finally was able to ask Taylor about the events of her flight.

"Okay, so tell us about this towel thing? What happened exactly?"

Taylor laughed as she thought back to her delay and late arrival.

"It was so crazy! So I had just gotten comfortable on the plane and was waiting for our turn for takeoff. Just as I pulled my book out of my bag, the pilot came over the intercom. He says 'Well here's a new one for ya…' . Apparently a towel from one of the catering trucks had been sucked up into one of the plane's air conditioning units. The cool air was still blowing on us, so none of us could figure out what all that meant. Could it get to the engine? Could they find the towel? Was it safe to fly the plane if they didn't find the towel?

"So I'm sitting there texting you" she gestured to Gabriella "and my mom back in Albuquerque. At first, I wasn't too worried about it, but the longer we sat there waiting, the more anxious I started to feel. What if this was way more serious than everyone was letting on?

"So anyway… Maintenance searched for nearly an hour and never located that towel. The whole time, the pilot keeps coming over the intercom keeping all the passengers informed of the progress. At one point, he says that we're going to be proceeding with our flight as scheduled. 'Your co-pilot and I would NOT be willing to put this plane in the air if it wasn't safe. We are recalibrating our flight plan and more fuel is being added,' or something like that. He goes on to say that 'we should be taking off in about 15 minutes' and that 'we will fly lower and slower to San Francisco, but we should still be there in about 5 hours'. I was freaking out the whole flight! Five hours from Dallas to San Francisco? Seriously, people? It's only supposed to be a two and a half hour flight!"

"No wonder you're so on edge," Troy commented.

"Oh, my gosh! I would be so terrified!" Gabriella commented.

"Baby, you would probably just take a Dramamine and be totally knocked out for the whole flight," Troy told her.

"Shut up," she said before turning her attention back to Taylor. "You and me," she pointed her finger back and forth between the two of them, "margaritas. Now. It'll calm us down."

"Sounds good to me, but why do you need to calm down?" Taylor questioned.

"Him," Gabriella said without hesitation, pointing in Troy's direction with her thumb.

"Hey!" Troy said in mock anguish, knowing fully that his girlfriend was joking. The trio shared a laugh as their burgers arrived and the girls ordered their margaritas. As they ate their meal, the three fell into easy conversation. Taylor asked Troy about the tournament that was taking him from town for the duration of her visit while Taylor and Gabriella exchanged stories about their law classes and the case studies they were faced with almost daily. Troy even asked Taylor about her plans for law school after she graduated from Yale. The three exchanged stories about their friends from high school that they were still in contact with. Finally, Troy brought up the invitation from his former roommate and teammate that he received earlier while at the airport.

"Hey, Taylor, some friends of mine are having a little get together tonight. Would you like to go?"

"A 'get together', Troy? Don't you mean a party?" she asked knowingly.

"Well…" he let his voice trail off, as he reached up to rub the back of his neck. Gabriella quickly came to his rescue.

"Actually, Tay, I think this really will just be a get together. Most of these guys are on the basketball team together and they have to leave early tomorrow morning. I think they realize that they can't stay up as late as they used to."

"Yeah, we're old geezers now," he said.

"That's not what I meant!" Gabriella said, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"Babe, I know. I was picking. Seriously, Taylor, it's just basically a cookout or something before we all leave for the tournament. Are you up for it? We don't have to go if you don't want to. Brie and I want you to feel like you're able to do what you want to while you're here and not just stuff that we want to do."

"Actually, that sounds like fun. I'd like to meet some of your friends that I always hear about," Taylor told him before turning her attention to her best friend once more. "What are the plans for the week while he's gone?"

"Well, my Spring Break isn't until next week. The bad news is that I do still have classes and my internship. The good news, however, is that I only have two classes a day and none on Thursday, so I'll be able to take you to the airport when you leave. My internship is eight hours a week and normally I'll do four hours a day and get it all done in two days, but since you're here, I'll only do two a day so I can spread it all out through out the week. That way I'll be able to spend more time with you. I should be done by lunchtime each day, so the afternoons will be ours to do whatever you want."

The two girls continued to make their plans for the week. Taylor reached into her purse and pulled out the list that she had made of a few of the tourist things that she wanted to do and Gabriella added to the list some of the lesser well known sights that she knew Taylor would love. Troy texted Andy back telling him that he and the two girls would attend the cookout that evening and then announced that he had class and they needed to leave so he could get his stuff.

"Are you girls ready? I still need to go by the apartment to get my books for class."

"Class?" Taylor questioned as she looked at her watch. "But it's already three o'clock in the afternoon-" she paused as she noticed the look her two friends were giving her. "Oh, wait. I didn't change my watch. It's not three. It's only twelve, isn't it? What time is your class?"

The three laughed as Troy signed the credit card slip the waitress left for him and slipped out of the booth and made their way to the car. Not surprising to the other two, Taylor fell asleep in the backseat as her body was overcome by the jetlag. The time during the ride back to their apartment passed quickly as Troy and Gabriella held hands over the center console and chatted back and forth about the get together that would take place that evening at the apartment of two of his teammates… an evening that would be a turning point for their


	3. Party Time

**Okay, everyone. It was completely my intent to get this posted yesterday for Vanessa's birthday. But alas, that didn't happen. I came home from work and wrapped Christmas presents instead. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this one! And by all means, people- REVIEW please! I love hearing what everyone has to say about this story. I have big plans for it! Oh, and by the way... you can follow me now! :-) cncgrad02**

**Chapter 3**

The three finally made it back to the apartment and Troy had just enough time to get his books and keys to his Chevy Silverado and- after giving Gabriella a quick kiss- rush back out the door again. Taylor took note of his haste and turned her attention to Gabriella.

"How long does it take you two to get to school?" she asked as she followed Gabriella into the kitchen.

"Well, Hayward is a little bit closer to Berkeley than it is to Palo Alto," she said as she leaned in the refrigerator and pulled out two waters. "It's the closest to being halfway that we could find. It takes him about thirty minutes and takes me about forty or so. It's not the easiest when I have my internship, but it works."

"Where do you do that?" Taylor questioned as she took one of the waters.

"Stanford's pre-law program has about eight law firms they work with for the seniors' internships. There's one that is really prestigious and upscale in downtown San Francisco. Almost every student who's done their internship there within the past twenty-five years gets hired on after graduation and has moved on to really prestigious law firms in places like New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, Boston…"

"Let me guess, that's where you are?" Gabriella's blush was all the answer Taylor needed. "Way to go, girl! What does Troy say about that?"

"He's excited for me. He says it's a great opportunity."

"But…?" Taylor prompted, feeling like Gabriella was leaving something out.

"But what?"

"But doesn't he want to go back to Albuquerque after graduation?" Taylor asked as she sat down on the couch.

Gabriella rolled her eyes as she sat down cross legged on the couch, her body turned to face her friend. "I don't know, Tay. I mean, yeah, going back to Albuquerque would be good for him. He's got connections there and can get a job with no problem. But staying in San Francisco could be good for him, too. He's already been doing an internship at a children's center in downtown San Francisco and they've all but come right out and told him that he's got a job when he graduates. He's really liking working with the children and has been helping with the parenting class they offer on Wednesday nights. It's been a great opportunity for him."

"But…?" Taylor repeated.

"I don't know," she began with a sigh. "I mean, we both have the opportunity to have incredible jobs here in San Francisco."

"So what's stopping him?"

"What do you mean?"

"Honey, there's no ring on your finger. It doesn't take a genius to know that Troy is so madly in love with you. I mean, hell, even Jason sees it!" The girls shared a laugh at the expense of their old friend from high school who was sometimes so incredibly dense. His ignorance only added to Jason's charm, in their opinion. "Bless his heart… Anyway, Troy is so in love with you. What's stopping him from proposing to you?"

"Taylor, I don't know. Troy says he wants to wait until we both have jobs and are established. He doesn't want to put himself in debt over just the ring, not to mention what the wedding itself will do to us financially."

"Won't the Boltons and your mom be paying for the wedding?"

"It's not the actual ceremony that he's concerned about, I don't think. I think it's more after the ceremony when life actually hits us."

"And how do you feel about all of this jerking around that he's doing to you?"

Gabriella sighed again, trying to hide her frustration at the inquisition Taylor was giving her. "Taylor, he's not jerking me around. Troy and I have talked about it. I appreciate his concerns. It shows that he's planning for the future."

Taylor narrowed her eyes as she focused on Gabriella's face. "You're hiding something," she said knowingly after a moment of studying her friend.

"What do you mean?"

"I know you way too well, Gabriella Rosa. I can tell when you're hiding something. You like that he's planning for the future, but you're frustrated that he's planning too much for the future. You're just ready for that ring now, aren't you? You don't care about the length of an engagement. Six months, a year and a half, two years… as long as you know the wedding is ultimately coming, right?"

"Taylor, I didn't come to Stanford to get my 'MRS.' degree. I'm doing what I wanted to do. I came here for their pre-law program and eventually law school."

"You're taking the LSAT again, right?"

"Yeah, in three weeks. I took it about a month and a half ago and didn't do too bad on it, but I just want to see if I can up the scores any."

"What did you get?"

"I got a 170, which is right at the beginning of the range for Stanford. I just want to see if I can get a few points higher just to have that cushion."

"So if you're going to stay here for law school and Troy is possibly-hasn't-decided-definitely-yet going back to Albuquerque, what does that mean for the two of you?"

The two young women sat quietly in a stare down as they both thought about the question that Taylor posed.

"Hey, Taylor, how's Chad?" Gabriella asked pointedly, suddenly breaking the silence, knowing that she hit a nerve.

"Touché," she said with a sigh. "Okay, fine, you've made your point. I'll drop it for now. But we're not done."

"Why am I not surprised?" Gabriella asked, taking a sip of her water.

_Taylor and Chad tried their long distance relationship for a while after graduating from East High. She left Albuquerque and made the move to New Haven, Connecticut, to attend Yale University while he stayed in their hometown and attended the University of Albuquerque on a basketball scholarship. Their relationship flourished for the first year. Phone calls every other night helped, but became difficult as basketball season came full swing. Facebook chats late into the night- for Taylor, not as late for Chad given the time difference- were also very helpful. The young couple would fly to see the other whenever possible. _

_Their __relationship __lasted __into __the __beginning __of __their __sophomore __year, __when __things __began __to __get __extremely __hectic __for __Taylor __in __Yale__'__s __pre-law __program. __She __began __to __get __more __and __more __involved __in __the __Student __Government __program __and __had __even __run __for __an __office. __Chad __began __to __feel __like __she __was __no __longer __making __time __for __him __and __it __began __to __show __in __his __game. __During __the __Thanksgiving __holidays __when __Taylor __traveled __back __to __Albuquerque __to __spend __the __school __break __with __her __family, __she __and __Chad __had __plans __for __a __date __night. __The __two __had __fun, __despite __the __tension, __like __they __always __did. __At __the __end __of __the __night __when __Chad __drove __Taylor __home, __the __two __sat __in __the __front __seat __of __his __car __and __talked, __trying __to __figure __out __the __right __thing __to __do __about __their __relationship. __The __decision __was __finally __reached __that __maybe __their __romantic __relationship __was __not __meant __to __be. __It __was __without __a __doubt __a __hard __one, __but __deep __down- __after __many __tears __had __been_ _shed __on __Taylor__'__s __part- __the __two __knew __it __was __the __right __thing __to __do._

_To this day, their friendship was one of the best that they had. It quickly became apparent that Chad and Taylor made better friends than they did boyfriend and girlfriend. Neither regretted that decision and cherished the bond that they now had. They even had a shared joke that anyone they got romantically involved with had to be approved by the other. "No one knows what you deserve or even knows you personally more than I do, Taylor. It's only right that I approve of him before your parents meet him," he had told her at one point._

"Okay, so the subtle change of subject request has been noted. Tell me about this get together we're going to tonight," Taylor told Gabriella.

Gabriella took a sip of her water and twisted the cap back on as she allowed a small smile to form on her lips.

"Well, first of all, I think it may be just the basketball team, so it won't get too out of hand. They all have to get up and be at the student center early in the morning. Remember when the gang used to get together every weekend, how we would do absolutely nothing but hang out and just have fun?" When Taylor nodded, Gabriella continued. "It's a bit like that, but a little more…"- she paused as she thought of how to describe what to expect- "adult? College? I don't know. They're all good guys. In all the years I've known them, I think only about two or three of them made the headlines for being stupid, and they've since graduated."

"What about Troy?" Taylor asked with a more than curious air in her voice.

"Are you kidding me?" Gabriella looked at her and shook her head. "With Jack Bolton as his dad? Do you think Troy would even consider getting into trouble?"

Taylor shrugged her shoulders as Gabriella looked at her with wide eyes. The answer was a rhetorical "No".

"So what's the pick going to be like tonight?" Taylor's eyes lit up as she asked the question that she'd been thinking ever since plans for the trip had been made. _Will __I __meet __someone __while __I__'__m __out __here?_

"So you're interested in meeting someone, huh?" Gabriella's eyes twinkled as she began to think of the guys she knew from Troy's basketball team and if any of them were available.

"Let's see, there's Andy. He's Troy's former roommate-"

"-before you two started playing house," Taylor joked.

"- and is the captain of the team," Gabriella continued, ignoring Taylor's comment. "He's an English major and will go one more semester so he can do his student teaching next fall. There's also Matt. He's Andy's roommate now. He's not on the team, but will be there anyway. I don't know if he's seeing someone or not. I've only met him a few times and can't recall him mentioning someone. Um, who else? Oh, yeah. Nicholas is single and is the other starting point guard. The coach switches him and Troy every other game. I think he's the same age as us but is a junior because he took time off after high school, if I remember correctly. Troy can answer that one better than I can."

The two girls continued to gossip about the basketball team and their girlfriends, Gabriella filling Taylor in on the who's- who so she would have a small idea of what was to come that evening. Before they knew it, the door opened and Troy walked in. They continued the conversation before the trio had to get ready and eventually leave for the party. The drive to the Berkeley side of town served as a brief tour for Taylor, with the promise from Gabriella to go into more detail as the week went on.

**TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF**

They arrived at the apartment complex that had become well known across the campus of the University of Berkeley. It was a popular location for the seniors who requested off campus privileges. The three friends walked up the steps and let themselves into the slightly crowded apartment. There weren't a lot of people there- maybe fifteen at most so far- but the size of the apartment made it seem like there were a lot more.

"Troy!" Three heads turned in the direction of the voice that greeted them and saw Andy walking their way.

"Andy! What's up?"

"Not much, man. What's going on?" The two former roommates greeted each other with a manly handshake before Andy turned to greet his friend's girlfriend. "Hey, Gabriella. How are you?" he asked. "I haven't seen you in a while."

"Yeah, we don't really get to talk after the games and such. I'm good. How are you?" she replied.

"I can't complain too much. I mean, other than the fact that you stole him from me and now he neglects our relationship…"

"Hey, now. Watch what you're saying to her," Troy said as he wrapped his arm around Gabriella's waist from behind. "You can't try to take her from me when I'm right here!"

"Um, Babe, I don't think you have to worry about him trying to take _me_ from you. It sounds to me like he was trying to take _you_ from me. Do you guys have some kind of man- love something going on that I need to know about?" she asked, giving Andy a look as she spoke.

"Sounds like it to me," a fourth voice spoke up. The three turned to notice Taylor standing nearby.

"Taylor, I'm so sorry," Gabriella blushed. "Um, Andy, this is Taylor. The three of us were close friends in high school. She's a senior at Yale and came to visit for her Spring Break."

"Taylor, it's nice to meet you," Andy said, holding his hand out in greeting.

Taylor reached her own hand out and shook Andy's extended hand. "It's nice to meet you, too, Andy. I've heard a lot about you."

"Really?" he asked looking at Troy.

"Well, no, not really. I lived in South Carolina before moving to New Mexico and was raised with manners. I've been taught that that's what you say when you meet someone new."

The group shared a laugh while Andy signaled to the cooler that was sitting in the corner of the kitchen filled with coke and other drinks. Troy and Gabriella grabbed drinks as Andy turned his attention back to Taylor.

"Hey, Taylor, why don't you come with me? I'll play 'good host' and introduce you to some of the others." The two walked off leaving Troy and Gabriella to go find a spot on the couch. They sat with Gabriella's legs draped across his lap and participated in idle chit-chat with the players and the few girlfriends who were nearby in between their own loving and playful kisses when they finally spotted Taylor again about thirty minutes later.

"Looks like Taylor found a friend," Troy commented. He picked up his hand from Gabriella's knee where it rested and pointed. Gabriella paused in rubbing her hand across his back and followed Troy's line of sight, taking notice of Taylor standing in the kitchen near the snacks talking to a guy that Gabriella recognized.

"That's odd," she stated with a look of confusion crossing her features.

"What's odd about that? She deserves to have a friend."

"No, not the fact that she's talking to someone. That's good. What's odd is who she's talking to."

Now it was Troy's turn to be confused. "What are you talking about? Who is that? I've never met him, have I?"

"No, you haven't. That's Davis."

"The guy in your study group?"

"Yeah," she confirmed with a nod.

"Wait, the guy who's always hitting on you?" Gabriella felt the muscles in his back tense up.

"He's not always hitting on me, but yes. He's the one you're thinking of."

"Not hitting on you? Brie, he's asked you out how many times in the past three and a half years?"

"Troy, he asked me out about two weeks after we met and I told him I had a boyfriend. Now it's become a joke between us. He asks me all the time because he knows the reaction he'll get and we laugh about it. It's a running joke he and I have."

"Well, then I guess it won't be so bad if I go introduce myself to him, will it?" he asked as he moved to stand up, Gabriella following suit. The two grabbed another drink from the cooler and made their way over to where Davis and Taylor were standing and talking.

"Davis? What are you doing here?" Gabriella greeted him.

"Hey, Gabi! How are you?" he leaned in to give her a friendly hug, which appeared odd to Troy. He shared a look with Taylor with his eyebrows furrowed in confusion while hers were raised in shock.

_Gabi?_ he mouthed to his long-time friend in question. Her late father was the only one who ever called her Gabi and she didn't like when anyone else called her that. An emotional Gabriella informed Troy of this after he called her that by mistake one day not long after she started at East High in their junior year and he passed along the message to the rest of their friends so none of them would do the same. Taylor responded with a mere shrug of her shoulders.

"I'm good, Davis," she said with a giggle. "Now why don't you answer my question. What are you doing at a Berkeley party?"

"Andy's my cousin. Now it's your turn. What are you doing at a Berkeley party?"

"I'm here with Troy," she said, gesturing to her curious boyfriend standing a few feet behind her.

"So this is the infamous Troy," Davis commented. "I've heard an awful lot about you."

"Are you from South Carolina?" Troy asked, as he came to stand behind Gabriella, putting an arm around her protectively.

"Um, no. I'm from Arizona. Why?" Davis curiously questioned.

"No reason. What's your last name, Davis?"

"Same as Andy."

"Oh, yeah? Davis Davidson? Did your parents not have any creativity?"

"Troy," Gabriella hissed under her breath. "Stop it," she warned.

"Actually, it's a family name on my mom's side."

"So you two are in the same study group, huh? I thought that I had met everyone in _Brie__'__s_ study group," he informed the newcomer, emphasizing his girlfriend's nickname on purpose. "Where have you been hiding?"

"Oh, hey, Troy, look. There's Nicholas. Why don't we go introduce him to Taylor?" Gabriella said pointedly.

"I was just getting to know Davis. We can't be rude and leave him now."

"Something tells me he'll survive," Taylor spoke up. She was not the only one who was standing nearby and could sense the tension between Troy and Davis. _He__'__s __getting __jealous__…_ she thought to herself. _This __can __only __get __more __interesting._

"Hey, Gabi, I'll catch you later," Davis called out after her.

"Yeah, you will. Later," Troy answered on her behalf.

Gabriella watched as Davis walked away and engaged in a conversation with Andy before reaching her hand out and connecting it with Troy's arm.

"Ow! What was that for?" Troy asked as he turned to face his long-time girlfriend, rubbing his bicep in the process.

"Could you have been any ruder?" she asked with a scowl.

"I was just getting to know my new friend. How is that being rude?"

Gabriella just gave Troy a silent glare and crossed her arms across her chest. She glanced at Taylor and noticed her contorting her face in such a way as to hide the smirk that was fighting its way out.

"¿Puedes creer que él? Es tan celoso y que ni siquiera se dan cuenta!" Gabriella quickly rattled off in her second language of Spanish- which she was more than fluent in, thanks to her mother and father's side of the family with whom she was still in close contact-, causing the laughter that Taylor was holding in to explode out. She turned her attention to Taylor and continued. "Y usted piensa que está listo …" she said, as she stormed off to grab her sweater, leaving Troy to watch after her. _(Can __you __believe __him? __He __is __so __jealous __and __he __doesn't __even __realize __it! __And __you __think __he's __ready__…__)_ He turned to Taylor and finally spoke.

"Okay, so I understand a little bit of Spanish, but I don't understand her when she does that. How much groveling do I have to do?" he asked, knowing she'd be able to translate what he couldn't.

"Let's just say that you have your work cut out for you," Taylor told him with a chuckle, as she gave him a sympathetic pat on the back.

Troy sighed as he ran his hand through his hair. "Fine. Let's get our stuff and get out of here."

The two of them walked down the hall to get their stuff and passed Gabriella as she was making her way to the door.

"Es una buena cosa te quiero," she muttered as she paused in front of them. _(It__'__s __a __good __thing_ _I __love __you.)_

"'Te quiero'," he repeated excitedly, looking at Taylor over his shoulder. "I know that one!"

Gabriella just rolled her eyes at him and shook her head, giving him a slight smile. "Go tell everyone bye. We need to get you home, Wildcat."

The trio made their rounds saying their goodbyes, and was soon in the car heading back to their side of town. Once the seatbelts were on, the questioning began.

"So I've never really asked about this Davis character…" Troy began tentatively.

"Because you thought he was a total nerd like some of the others in the study group?" Gabriella challenged.

"No...maybe. Wait, why does that matter?" he questioned.

"It shouldn't, Troy Alexander, because you trust me. Right?" she asked as she turned her body so she was leaning against the passenger door and facing him.

"Of course I trust you ...I'm just surprised I've never met him before, especially since he's Andy's cousin."

"Is it just because he's Andy's cousin that you think you should have met him before tonight, or is there another reason?" When she was met by silence, she clicked her tongue and continued. "Ah- ha. That's what this boils down to," she said, with a sense of pride at the possibility of finally cracking the code. "He carries more weight now because he's Andy's cousin and not just because of the amount of time I spend with him, or the fact that he's not a pocket-protector wielding geek who happens to be a friend of mine and pays attention to me in a way that you don't like. Although I think that has more to do with it than you want to admit."

"That...It has nothing to do…" Troy paused as the last part of what Gabriella just said registered in his mind. "Wait, what do you mean the amount of time you spend with him? Exactly how much time do you spend with him?" Troy was beginning to feel slightly panicked at the direction in which this conversation was heading.

"Hey guys?" a third voice spoke up from the back seat.

"You know how much time I spend with him, Troy! Our iPod calendars are synced. You practically know where I am every minute of the day," Gabriella pointed out.

"Guys?" Taylor tried again.

"And you know the same about me...is that suddenly a problem?" Troy challenged.

"HELLLOOOO!" the third voice practically yelled, finally getting the attention of the couple in the front seat.

"WHAT?" Troy and Gabriella responded in unison.

"Do you realize how much you sound like a married couple already?" Taylor asked them.

The car was filled with silence for a few minutes before Troy reached over and took Gabriella's hand in his own and gave it a squeeze, completely oblivious to the fact that the simple comment that escaped Taylor's lips held more weight in his girlfriend's mind than he realized.

"Yeah, I guess we do," Troy admitted, sharing a glance with Gabriella before turning his eyes back to the road in front of him.

Gabriella just sat quietly without saying a word, giving Troy a small smile. She squeezed his hand just a little harder than intended and wrapped both of her small hands around his larger one and kept a tight hold on it before turning her head to look back out the passenger window.

The rest of the drive was spent with Troy and Gabriella listening intently to Taylor share an interesting story about something one of her professors had said in class the previous day.

Her story sparked a conversation between the two pre-law students and the psychology major about the psychological ramifications that the particular case study would hold for all parties involved. Before too long, they were pulling into the entrance of the apartment complex and Troy turned to face Taylor as the three walked up the steps of the building.

"Taylor, I'm assuming you brought some kind of homework with you, right?"

"No, actually I-" she paused, seeing the knowing look Troy was giving her. "Well, yeah. I did." she said with a slight blush at being caught with the intent of doing school work during her Spring Break. "Why?"

"And you can listen to some music with your ear buds or something while you work on that stuff, right?" he continued as he unlocked the door.

"Yeah, I guess…" she answered as they crossed the threshold of the apartment, uncertain where he was going with his questioning.

"Good." He began waving his hand around pointing throughout the apartment as he spoke.

"This is the living room. Kitchen's right there. Spare bedroom- which is really Gabriella's room- where you will be sleeping is right behind that door." Troy was busy pointing to random doors and various directions and missed the deep crimson color that had taken residence on Gabriella's face.

"Help yourself to whatever's in the fridge and don't pay attention to any random noises that you might hear coming from in… there." He pointed to the one closed door that he had neglected seconds before during his verbal tour and Taylor let out a smirk knowing what sorts of noises he was referring to. "Brie will be out just as soon as I'm asleep."

"So I should amuse myself for half an hour? Gee, what a great host you are, Troy." Taylor rolled her eyes dramatically at Troy before she turned and grinned at Gabriella. Gabriella cocked her eyebrows and shrugged her shoulders at Taylor before letting out a suggestive smirk and biting her lip, knowing that Troy was watching and listening.

"Just make yourself at home, Tay. I'll see you in the morning," Gabriella told her.

"Thanks for the warning. I'll make sure to stay out of the war path until tomorrow afternoon," their friend said with a knowing grin.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Gabriella asked.

Taylor twisted her lips and raised her eyebrows. "I know you and mornings. I'm not getting in the middle of that!"

"Wish you had warned me about it before we moved in together!" Troy continued Taylor's joke, knowing all too well about Gabriella's grumpy morning routine. He stopped suddenly when Gabriella shot a glare in his direction.

"Whatever," she said slightly offended.

"Don't be upset, Baby. Taylor knows the truth," Troy told her as he placed a soft kiss to her cheek. Gabriella only huffed at him in response before he continued. "Taylor, I hope you and Gabriella have a great visit. I know she's been looking forward to this, so I can only imagine that you have been, too. I wish I could stay and see you longer, but-"

"-the court calls, as always," she interrupted. "It's okay. I'm used to playing second fiddle to an orange ball." The two shared a laugh at the joke before he leaned in and gave her a hug.

"Take care of my girl while I'm gone," he instructed her seriously as he pulled away.

"Don't worry," Taylor said, giving his hand a squeeze. "I'll make sure no stranger comes to whisk her away from you. She'll still be here when you get back."

The three friends exchanged good night wishes as Gabriella took Troy's hand in hers and led him down the hall and into the bedroom right in front of Taylor, tossing a Cheshire cat grin in her direction. Taylor watched as Troy closed the door behind them and just shook her head when she heard the distinct sound of the lock being turned. She turned around to locate her bag and let out a tired sigh, as she pulled her laptop from within and turned it on. While she waited for it to boot up, she reached back in the bag and found her iPod and ear buds and put them in her ears with the hope of blocking out any unwanted sounds coming from behind the closed door.

**TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF**

Once Gabriella locked the door behind them, she turned to see Troy standing at the foot of the bed, his eyes darkening with desire. She took the necessary steps to stand in front of him and turned her back toward him before reaching out and pulling his arms around her waist as she leaned her head back against his chest. Troy gave her a gentle squeeze around her middle and moved her hair over her left shoulder as he leaned down to place a kiss on her neck.

"Thank you for at least going along with me on this. You've been so excited about Taylor's visit that I didn't even know if you'd come to bed with me at all tonight. I figured you'd want to have a girls' night- no sleep, watching movies and eating ice cream all night long," he said, his voice changing so it took on the seductive tone that always caused a shiver to run down Gabriella's spine.

"We'll have a bunch of girls' nights, starting tomorrow night. I'm glad Tay's here Troy, but you know I'm gonna miss you," she said in a whisper. "It's not going to be any fun hogging the covers at night without you here to try and keep them from me."

"I would never...I don't know what you're talking about," he told her as he lifted his head to look in the mirror across the room and he smiled as their eyes met.

"Hey, what Tay was talking about at the airport...you know that was her, not me, right?" Gabriella asked tentatively.

Troy brought his hands under her top and began to caress her stomach, his hands warm against her skin. Their hips begin to sway in time to their own song that played in both of their heads. He watched as her eyes closed in pleasure before he spoke again, his words a gentle breath against her neck.

"Are you sure? Because I love you, you know?"

"I know," she sighed as she leaned her head further to the left so he could have better access to her neck, loving the feeling that he was invoking inside her. "And I love you too. And for now, that's enough, right?" she asked, trying to convince herself more than Troy.

"Mmm-hmmm," he murmured as he tried to keep his mind focused on what she was saying. He was having no luck, however, as he continued the trail of wanting, needing kisses down the side of her face while his fingers worked their way further up her body and under the bra that was completely impeding his feel of her breasts.

"But someday, right?" she asked, as her mind became hazy from the heat of the moment, with the future she wanted to imagine and the future that her best friend had conjured up swiftly moving to the back of her mind for the time being. She quickly decided with Troy's next answer that she would just kick both of the future ideas out of her head and enjoy the moment that he was trying to create right then and there.

Troy halted his kisses and sucked in a deep breath. He disconnected his mouth from her neck before giving his one word answer.

"Someday." Troy slowly turned her around and lifted her chin with his index finger and thumb until she had no choice but to look him in the eyes. He nodded his head at her just one time and stared into her eyes as deeply and directly as he could manage.

"Someday," he repeated.

At hearing his words, Gabriella brought herself up on her tiptoes and initiated a fiery kiss to let him know that she believed him, she loved him and she wanted every inch of him. Troy gave as much as he received and the two became lost in the kiss.

As she slowly began to unbutton his shirt and pushed it off his muscular shoulders, he lifted her shirt from the bottom hem and pulled it over her head. He brought his hands around her back and felt for the hook of her bra and unfastened it with ease.

After a few minutes, he began to slowly move them across the room until they both fell onto the bed with Gabriella on top. She reached her hand down and unfastened the button of his jeans before pushing down the zipper. He brought his hips off the bed enough so she could pull them down around his knees. Troy then reached up and brushed some hair away from her eyes as he wrapped his arms around her behind and scooted them both farther up onto the bed.

"Oh and by the way?" he began to speak softly, careful not to disturb their intimate moment.

Gabriella raised up on her knees beside him and stripped his boxers down as far as his jeans had fallen.

"Hmmm?" she questioned as she began to run her hands all over his chest.

"Thank you for not continuing Tay's 'half hour' joke."

Gabriella first brought her eyes down to take in the length of Troy's erection then up at his face as she brought her hand down and began stroking him, causing him to suck in a deep breath. "It doesn't matter to me if round one takes a half hour, ten minutes or two hours. I'm not gonna let you sleep tonight until I'm satisfied," she told him before connecting their mouths once more. And so their evening continued, each making sure the other knew exactly how deep their love ran before Troy left for his five day long journey.


	4. Departures

It was brought to my attention that some of you may perhaps be confused by something. The question was that Gabriella wouldn't let any of her friends- including Troy- call her 'Gabi' because it was her Dad's name for her and therefore it means means a lot to her, so why will she let Davis call her that? Now, after taking a few days and contmeplating that, I realized the real reason. I think it would be that she told Troy because the two of them are close (obviously) and he unknowingly upset her by calling her that. He then went and told the others without her knowing, so they just never even had the chance to call her Gabi. They always called her Gabriella and Troy calls her Brie- he's the only one who has a special nickname for her (except for Chad who calls her Gabs or Gabster).

Now, as to why she lets Davis call her Gabi... who knows? It could be one of those instances where she's tried time and time again to please not call her that, but he just doesn't pick up on it. Let's just say that she finally gave up on asking him to please not call her Gabi.

**Chapter 4**

As the alarm began to buzz at 6:15 on Saturday morning, Troy quickly reached over to turn it off before it woke up his slumbering girlfriend, knowing that the chances of that happening were very slim. Before climbing out of bed, he leaned over to sneak a peak at Gabriella and smiled when he noticed the serene look that crossed her features, knowing that he had a hand in making that look appear the night before. He pulled his arm out from under her head causing her to roll over and reach for his pillow, pulling it into her body at the loss of contact, and placed a gentle kiss on her smooth cheek before climbing out of bed and walking into the bathroom. As he started the shower and stepped behind the curtain, he couldn't help but think back to the previous night.

After round one, the two snuggled down into the covers of the bed- Troy with his arms wrapped tightly around Gabriella's naked form and Gabriella with her head tucked under his slightly bearded chin- talking about the week apart that lay ahead and how much they would miss each other. This had become almost routine for them whenever he was about to leave for an away game, whether it be merely overnight or for a tournament that would take him away for several days.

"_I'm really going to miss you," she told him, speaking quietly into the dim light that the room was basked in, thanks to the small lamp on the bedside table that had been turned on just moments prior. _

"_You make it sound like I've got some type of terminal disease and am dying. I'm only going to be gone for five days, Brie. I'll be back."_

"_But what if something happens while you're gone?"_

"_Like what? Someone trying to break into the apartment? Babe, the gates at the entrance are locked every night. Someone would either need the code or have to call up here so you can let them in. This is one of the best secured complexes in the area. I think that's the only reason our parents approved it."_

"_No, not that. What if something happens to the plane or something that we can't control?"_

"_You mean like a towel getting caught in the engine? What are the chances of that happening?" he asked with a smirk, referring to Taylor's mishap with her flight._

"_Troy, I'm being serious," she said as she started to turn her back to him so she could snuggle further against his front. "I don't know what it is, but I just…" she said, allowing her voice to trail off._

"_Just what?" he prompted, urging her to turn back around so they were facing each other once more. During a conversation such as this, he wanted to be able to look into her eyes and see into her soul._

"_It's nothing," she told him as she reached up and cupped his cheek lovingly with her hand, running her thumb over the facial hair that he was growing. "I just want to enjoy this. Us, together, no worries…"_

"_No worries," he told her as he leaned down to join their mouths once more, encouraging round two to begin._

He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he was certain that something was different in their love making after that conversation. Almost like she was trying to savor it. While it confused him somewhat, he enjoyed it. It wasn't often that her possessive nature came out. Troy pushed the thought from his mind and decided to just take the memory with him and let it be.

He finished his shower within minutes and as he emerged from the bathroom with the towel wrapped around his middle, he noticed Gabriella sitting up in bed, looking down at her folded hands resting in her lap with fascination.

"Babe?" he called, trying to get her attention. She looked up at him and he couldn't help but notice the almost helpless look on her face. "Why don't you go back to sleep?"

"I can't sleep when you're not here. I've not been able to do so this whole season."

"Really?" he asked as he grabbed a shirt from the dresser drawer and pulled it over his head.

"You've gone the whole season not able to sleep when I've got away games? Why haven't you said anything before now?" When she looked up at him with her doe-eyed expression that he loved so much and shrugged her shoulders in answer, he shook his head and chuckled as he pulled his boxer briefs on, removing the towel. "You're going to have a really hard time this week."

"I know! This is the longest I've had to go with hardly any sleep," she said as she sat up with the covers wrapped around her and held her arms up to him like a little girl wanting to be held. He complied with pleasure and crossed the room to gather her small body in his arms. Gabriella first gripped his shirt before placing her hands on both of his cheeks, turning his face to hers to give him a kiss. He couldn't help but notice the longing and distress behind her kiss and- while slightly confused at her change in attitude within the past few hours- responded in a way that he hoped would appease her until he got back from Georgia. Finally, he reluctantly pulled back and studied her face.

"Gabriella, Sweetheart, it's just a few days. This is no big deal. We've done this before. And you've even got Tay here with you this time. What's wrong?" he asked, his voice laced with concern.

She attempted to push her doubts from her mind for the time being and merely shrugged it off knowing he should be right. "I don't know. It's nothing. I just know I'm gonna miss you." Their eyes met and she smiled, hoping to set his mind at ease, before changing the subject. "You better hurry and finish getting ready. I'll help get your stuff together." She climbed out of the bed and picked the button up shirt he'd worn to the party the night before off the floor and put it on, moving to the closet.

About twenty minutes later, his duffle bag was packed and he was ready to leave. The young couple moved to the door for their official good-bye, careful not to wake their house guest in the next bedroom. As they stood in front of the door, Gabriella stood on her tiptoes, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him close for a tight hug. Troy retaliated and held her just as tight before she let out a gentle sigh. Feeling her breath against his neck, he pulled back and gave her a soft kiss. She pulled back after a moment and opened the door.

"Go. You can't be late. We can't have the coach mad at you," she instructed him.

He put a finger under her chin, causing her to lift her face and look him in the eyes. "When I get back I want a night just like last night, okay?" he told her with a coy look on his face.

She lowered her eyes and blushed, returning his grin. "Promise," she told him as she nibbled on her lower lip, meeting his eyes once more.

"Promise is a really big word, Gabriella," he told her, repeating her words to him from years before. "And this is one I'm planning to hold you to," he whispered into her ear before taking her earlobe in his mouth and nipping gently.

"Hold me to it anytime, Wildcat," she told him as she gripped tighter to his t-shirt, reveling in the feel of his lips on any part of her body. "I love you."

"Love you too, Baby. Have fun with Taylor." He leaned down and gave her one more kiss before he turned and walked through the breezeway towards the stairs of their building.

Once he disappeared from her sight, Gabriella closed the door and leaned with her back against it, trying to hold back the few tears that had gathered in her eyes. "Hold me to it, Wildcat. Please."

Not knowing what was causing the feeling of unease, Gabriella made her way to the couch and pulled the blanket down from the back of it, covering herself with it as she laid down. She laid there alone in the silence trying to fall back asleep before deciding that it was useless.

_Who am I kidding? There's no hope in me falling back asleep now. Coffee…_

She stood up from the couch and padded barefoot into the kitchen, starting the dark liquid that had become an obsession of hers- morning, noon, and night. As she fixed a cup and took her first sip, she made her way back into the living room and decided to put a movie into the DVD player to kill the time until Taylor woke up, which she was expecting to be several more hours given the jet lag that Taylor was more than likely experiencing. Finally deciding on _The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe_, she sat back down on the couch and wrapped the blanket back around her body, allowing herself to get lost in the world of C.S. Lewis.

About three quarters of the way through the movie, Gabriella felt a presence in the chair next to the couch. Turning her head, she saw that Taylor had woken and moved from the bedroom into the living room. Taylor turned to take in Gabriella's face and noticed the dullness in her usually lively eyes. She gave her hostess a small smile and turned her attention back to the movie. When it was over, Gabriella spoke first.

"I figured you'd still be asleep."

"Aslan woke me up. Besides, my body says it's almost noon."

"Time change," Gabriella said with a 'well duh' tone. "Forgot about that. Sorry if the movie was too loud."

"It's okay," Taylor told her before changing the subject. "Why the tears?" she asked.

"What tears?"

"Don't play dumb with me, Montez. I know you and I know when you've been crying. What's up, other than Troy being gone?"

Gabriella merely shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know, I just… for some strange reason, I don't have a great feeling about this particular trip."

"What do you mean? Are you afraid something might happen to the plane and we'll have a repeat of Marshall University?"

Gabriella turned her stare to Taylor with wide eyes. "Well, I wasn't until now!" she exclaimed, trying hard to fight back a fresh batch of tears. "Thanks, Tay!"

"I'm sorry!" Taylor was quick to apologize. She got up from the chair and moved to sit on the couch next to Gabriella, wrapping her arms around her friend. "I didn't mean to upset you again!" The two girls just sat there in silence for a few minutes, listening to the ticking of the clock that hung on the wall and Gabriella's occasional sniffling.

"Sweetie, are you okay?" Taylor asked, concerned.

"Yeah, I guess I'm fine. I don't know, Tay. I'm just being silly I guess."

Taylor reached her hand up to swipe a finger under Gabriella's left eye before she leaned over to grab the box of tissues that sat on the nearby coffee table. "What's wrong? Why the tears?" she asked a second time.

"I don't know," Gabriella repeated. "I mean, we've been separated before. He's had overnight away games. He's even had away games where he's been gone for several days. I mean, Berkeley has competed in the March Madness every year we've been here." The girls shared a look and an eye roll at the thought that their lives had been overtaken with basketball knowledge.

"Isn't it ironic that just six short years ago we both could care less about basketball, and now here we sit knowing almost everything there is to know about the sport?" Taylor pointed out, and the girls snickered. Gabriella sighed before continuing.

"We've been separated before, but this time it just feels so… I don't know." She paused, taking a deep breath, before starting again. "I guess I just…" Gabriella let out a sigh, frustrated at not being able to get her thoughts across in a very comprehensible manner.

"You just miss him. It's okay."

"Yeah, but why is this time so much harder than it's ever been? That's what I don't get."

The two just sat in silence once more. No words needed to be spoken. Taylor just hugged Gabriella closer to her and simply held her.

"Troy has no idea what he's got with you. If he knew then he'd already be making sure that he keeps you."

"Taylor, he does know. We don't need an outward sign to show how much we love each other."

Taylor took in the look on Gabriella's face and noticed the sorrow hidden behind her eyes and decided to just let it go. If only he really did know… she thought to herself. She shook the thought from her mind and allowed her face to light up with a fresh idea.

"Hey, what about the tour you promised me? I'm here to see not just you, missy!"

"Well, then get your butt up off the couch and go get ready! I've been waiting on you!"

"Oh, whatever!" Taylor argued back and the two laughed as they stood off the couch, each making their way into the separate bathrooms to begin their routine. After her shower, while Gabriella was in her bathroom applying her makeup, she heard the sounds of her Bruno Mars ring tone and knew instantly who it was. Only one person had that song on her phone. She put down her eye shadow and walked into the bedroom to pick up the phone off the bed, smiling to herself as she got closer.

_When I see your face, there's not a thing that I would change._

_Cause you're amazing, just the way you are._

_And when you smile, the whole world stops and stare for awhile._

_Cause you're amazing, just the way you are._

"Hi, Baby. Are you there already?" she asked.

"_No, not yet. We have a layover in St. Louis. I was waiting until we got to the gate before I called. How's it going there?"_

"It's going good. We're getting ready now to head out. I figured I'd take Tay to Golden Gate Park and maybe the Japanese Tea Garden for lunch while we're down there."

"_Nu-huh!"_ he whined. _"Don't get sushi without me!"_

"But I might be able to actually enjoy my whole order without someone trying to steal pieces off my plate this time," Gabriella whined back, grinning.

"_I don't know what you're talking about…"_ Troy said, feigning innocence.

"Whatever," she told him. A soft, comfortable silence filled the phone lines for a moment, before Gabriella let out a soft sigh.

"_How are you really doing, Brie?"_

"What do you mean? Troy, I told you I'm fine."

"_Gabriella…"_ he said with a warning tone to his voice.

"How could you tell?" she asked softly.

"_Because I know you inside and out. I don't have to see your face to know that you're not doing well right now."_

"I'm doing better than I was when you left, I guess. I don't know, to be honest."

"_Brie, Baby, please take care of yourself while I'm gone. You know I wish I could be there with you."_

"I know. And I promise I'll do the best that I can. That bed is awfully big…"

"_Oh, don't even go there. Please?"_ he begged, closing his eyes to ward off the feeling she was trying to evoke in a certain part of him. _"I need to focus this week and can't be thinking about that."_ Gabriella grinned, knowing that she had hit a nerve in a very sensitive area. She heard a voice come over the loudspeaker in the background, and Troy sighed before he continued. _"Hey, they just gave our five minute warning before boarding. I want to talk to Taylor before I hang up, but I just want you to know that I love you."_

"I love you, too. Play well this week. Wear your knee brace!" she warned as she walked across the hall to her own bedroom that was serving as Taylor's room for the week. She knocked on the door before letting herself in as she heard Troy's response in her ear.

"_Yes, mom,"_ he joked. Hearing his girlfriend's scoff in his ear, he continued. _"No, seriously! Mom said the same thing to me when I talked to her on the way to the airport this morning."_ Gabriella's laughter joined his. When she stopped, Troy could swear he heard her sniffle. _"Be strong for me, Babe. I love you,"_ he told her again.

"I love you, too. Here's Taylor." Taylor pulled her shirt over her head before taking the phone from Gabriella.

"Miss me already? You just couldn't live without me, could you?" she joked.

Troy chuckled in her ear. _"Isn't that the truth! You're the only girlfriend's best friend for me!"_

"You just make sure it stays that way," she told him. "Now, what can I do for you?" she asked, as she noticed Gabriella wiping her eyes before turning to go back into the other bedroom to finish getting ready.

"_I need you to do me a favor, please,"_ he requested.

"Yeah, what's up?"

"_Take care of her for me. She had a hard time when I left this morning and I'm really worried about her."_

"Troy, you know I'll look out for her. She and I are going to live it up San Fran style and before she can even say 'My boyfriend's away at a tournament this week', the week will be over and you'll be home."

"_You promise?"_ he questioned.

"I promise. I'll do whatever it takes to cheer her up."

"_Okay. Thanks, Taylor. I gotta go; we're boarding. Tell Brie that I'll text her when we land in Atlanta and call when we get to UGA."_

"I will. Have a good week and play your ass off!"

Troy hung up his phone and as he walked down the ramp to board the plane, only one thought was running through his mind:

_Please take care of her, Taylor. Why do I feel like I'm trusting you with my relationship?_

As the girls finished getting ready, they grabbed their purses and started to make their way out the door and into the breezeway of the apartment building. Gabriella waited until they were walking down the steps to vocalize the question that had been running through her mind ever since she handed her phone to Taylor.

"Why did Troy want to talk to you?"

"He wanted to tell me he missed me," she joked. Gabriella just rolled her eyes and shook her head, so Taylor continued speaking. "No reason, really. He just wanted to apologize if he made me feel uncomfortable last night."

"You don't have to lie, Taylor," Gabriella said knowingly. "He told you to watch out for me, didn't he?"

Taylor was quiet for a moment while Gabriella looked her in the eyes. "Yeah," she said sheepishly. "I can't lie to you. I've tried. It's just not possible. He's worried about you and asked me to keep an eye on you."

"See, doesn't that show you just how much he cares about me? Even from thousands of miles away he's concerned." No matter how hard she tried, Gabriella couldn't keep the know it all tone from her voice.

"I know, I know. You don't have to keep pushing it in my face," Taylor said, slightly apologetic. "My point is just that after this much time together, living together especially, any other man would be staking his claim."

"Well first off, he has staked his claim on me...in more ways than one, not that I need to elaborate for you and your wild imagination," she said, lowering her voice mischievously on that last part. "And I don't have to have a ring to know that. Secondly, Troy is not just any other man. He's mine, and he's devoted to me." She reached her hand up and fingered the T necklace around her neck. It was just like the one he gave her at the end of their junior year of high school, except this one was given as her birthday gift during their sophomore year of college after the chain broke on the original. She smiled as she thought back to the day he gave it to her.

_She woke up the morning of her twentieth birthday to a warm early April Saturday. The morning chill had lifted and San Francisco had been wrapped in warmth the past couple of weeks, causing Gabriella and her roommate Kate to sleep with their dorm window open. Just as she was stretching out cat-like in her bed, she felt something hit her on the head._

"_Ow!" she said, sitting up in bed and rubbing her head. She turned to notice her auburn haired roommate smirking at her with her phone to her ear. "What the hell, Kate? That hurt!"_

"_Yeah, Gabriella. Watch for those darn pillows. They can really cause nasty bruises. Happy birthday, Sunshine!"_

"_Why are you waking me up? It's my special 'happy me' day. I should be allowed to sleep," she groggily complained._

"_You were waking up yourself, Bright One! Besides, the phone is for you and- thanks to the person on the other end- I had no choice but to rush the process along."_

"_What are you talking about? Who is it?" she asked as she sat up in bed._

"_Here." Kate stood from her bed and handed the phone to her roommate. Gabriella took the phone and put it to her ear, wondering who was on the other end of Kate's phone that wanted to talk to her. Halfway to her ear, she noticed that it wasn't Kate's phone after all, but her own._ _Scrunching her eyebrows in confusion, she pulled it the rest of the way to her ear and began the conversation with- who's on the other end again?_

"_Hello?" she said._

"_Happy birthday, Beautiful." _

_She grinned when she heard her boyfriend's voice. "Thank you. Why are you calling so early?"_

"_Brie, it's almost 10. Why are you sleeping so late?"_

"_Because it's my special day and I can. Be nice to me," she told him with a slight pout in her voice._

"_Here, I'm supposed to give this to you when you wake up," Kate interrupted, handing Gabriella a small wrapped box. "I also have specific instructions to order you to open it now and not wait until your date tonight so he can see your reaction. He figured you'd want to put it on right away."_

"_Where did you get this?" she asked her roommate._

"_Troy gave it to me when he was here last weekend and said to give it to you this morning," Kate told her._

"_What did you do?" she asked into the phone, taking the red wrapped box from Kate._

"_Just paid attention a few months ago, that's all," he told her. Troy waited and listened to the_ _sound of his girlfriend of almost three and a half years tearing the wrapping paper and when he heard the slight gasp escape her lips, he knew she was instantly in love with what laid inside the velvet box._

"_Troy! You remembered!"_

"_How could I forget? You practically cried every day for about two months when the chain broke on the old one. 'Troy, I don't have a necklace anymore. What am I going to wear now?'" he said, imitating Gabriella's adorable pout. "This one is to replace the old one. Plus, it's not cheap like the old one was. I had a bigger budget this time," he joked._

"_Wildcat, I love it," she said as she fingered the gold T, pausing suddenly and letting out a gasp. "A diamond? Troy, is that a diamond? This necklace has a diamond in it!"_

"_Yeah, it's your birthstone. And your point is…?"_

"_Troy, it cost too much! You can't get me a diamond!"_

"_Gee, you're welcome," he said, trying to hide the slight disappointment at her reaction. "Look, Brie, I'm sorry if you think I spent too much on a new gold T necklace with a diamond on this one instead of a cheap red something. I love you and you're worth it to me. I know how much that necklace meant to you and how disappointed you were when the chain broke Halloween night at the party we went to. I just wanted to do something special to replace it- maybe even get you a better one."_

"_Why do you always do that?" she asked him after a long pause._

"_Do what?"_

"_Make me feel bad for always paying attention to the price? You're right, Troy. I do love it and I appreciate that you thought of that. It's beautiful. I'm sorry I overreacted. Thank you."_

"_So does that mean you'll wear it tonight when we go to dinner?"_

"_I've already put it on," she told him with a wide smile on her face._

Gabriella's thoughts were interrupted by Taylor. She looked over to see her with her hands in the air in surrender. "Fine… fine. I get it. But just so you know, you may not need the ring...but it sure comes in handy when someone else is trying to hit on you."

"What are you talking about?"

"I saw the way both of you acted around that Davis guy at the party. You liked his little flirty ways. And if Troy was so bothered by it, he should do more than just griping and threatening the poor guy."

"Taylor-" Gabriella started with a frustrated sigh.

"I'm just saying. Anyway, that's enough said on the subject for now." The two girls reached Gabriella's car. "I want my tour," Taylor announced as she climbed in the car.

"Tour my ass. What you need is a man of your own," Gabriella mumbled.

"What was that?" Taylor asked. "I didn't quite catch that."

"What I said was-" Gabriella started, closing her door and turning to face Taylor "-that what you need is a man of your own so you'll leave me alone about mine."

"I don't need a man," Taylor scoffed.

Gabriella backed the car out of its space and put it in drive before turning to face Taylor, the look on her face screaming 'Oh, please! Whatever!'

"Let me just say one word to contradict that statement…" Taylor turned to face her friend and when Gabriella had her full attention, she continued. "…CHAD!"

Taylor rolled her eyes and turned her stare back out the passenger side window. "Oh, please. Whatever," she mumbled under her breath.

"'Whatever' is right." A light bulb suddenly went off in Gabriella's brain as she drove down the street, and a grin spread across her face. "And I know just the man for you!"

Taylor slowly turned to face Gabriella almost afraid to see the Grinch like grin that graced her features. "Why am I all of a sudden afraid?"

"Don't be afraid. Just sit back and enjoy the ride." And with that, a plan was beginning to take form in Gabriella's mind. She just hoped that for Taylor's sake, it would all play out the way it was meant.


	5. Meddling Hearts

**Hey, yall! Just a real quick note to first of all say thanks for reading! I've gotten some great feedback and I really do appreciate it! I've got some other stuff going on in my personal life (nothing bad, just a lot) and I just wanted to let yall know that I'm taking some time from this story. Not time from writing it- because I'm not stopping till it's complete, I can promise you that- but just time from posting. I need to take some time to catch up on some stuff, and THEN I'll be back to posting. I can't promise when that will be, though. I just didn't want anyone to be wondering about where I am. **

**Keep a look on adcgordon's "Scenarios: Hawaii" facebook page (Scenarios: Hawaii by adcgordon) and I'll make sure to announce when I'm about to post my next chapter. (I'll give a few day's notice for you to go and refresh your memory of the first several chapters.) Hang in there, my people! I'll be back!**

**Enjoy! And as always, remember that I don't own anything related to this story other then the storyline and original characters.**

**Chapter 5**

The rest of the weekend passed unceremoniously with the promised tour of Gabriella's latest city of residence. Saturday and Sunday found the two girls being the stereotypical tourists- visiting the places that all first time visitors will with their cameras not far out of reach. On Monday, classes resumed for Gabriella. She told Taylor about University Avenue- Palo Alto's main drag which consisted of retailers such as a Borders, a movie theater, an Apple store, several clothing retailers, and many, many more hot spots- and plans were made for Taylor to be dropped off for some solo retail therapy while Gabriella endured three hours of classes before the two friends reconvened at Starbucks and enjoyed the rest of the afternoon together.

"What are the plans for the night?" Taylor asked her as the two sat at one of the black patio tables outside in front of Starbucks in the bright California sunshine holding their mocha caramel lattes later that afternoon.

"Well, I found out today that my LSAT prep study group wants to meet this evening. I tried to get out of it-"

"Bite your tongue. That's important," Taylor interrupted as she lifted her cup to her lips.

"But Tay-" Gabriella tried to argue back.

"No!" Taylor held a finger in her friend's face to keep her quiet. "Listen, I've been going through my own LSAT preparatory class. Who knows? Maybe Yale teaches us something that Stanford doesn't teach you California Sun-heads and I might have something to contribute to tonight's study session. I'll just come with you. If I can't contribute, maybe I'll learn something myself that I can take back to the East Coast yuppies who think they know everything anyway."

"Well, okay. But I don't want you to think that I'm making you come study during your Spring Break." Seeing the look that Taylor was giving her, Gabriella rolled her eyes. "Who am I kidding? You, not work during a vacation? Yeah, right!"

"You'd be the same way and you know it, so don't give me that!"

The girls participated in a mock stare down before Gabriella relented. "Yeah, you're right. Okay. So if you want to come along, obviously you're more than welcome. But for right now, it's time for a change of subject. What did you do today while I was in class?"

Taylor proceeded to tell Gabriella about her adventures along University Avenue when she was interrupted by Gabriella's phone ringing. Taylor knew instantly who it when the sounds of Bruno Mars filled the air around them; she didn't even have to ask.

"Give me that! Boy needs to know that he should be paying attention to the reason why he's in Georgia, not calling you every hour!" Before Gabriella could stop her, Taylor had grabbed her phone and hit the green accept button.

"Hey, Lover Boy."

"_Why are you answering my girlfriend's phone?"_ Troy asked suspiciously, yet unable to hide the humor from his voice.

"Probably because Girlfriend doesn't want to talk to you right now," Taylor joked back, throwing a wink in Gabriella's direction showing her that she was joking.

"Give me that!" Gabriella said, reaching for her phone and walking a few feet to an empty chair two tables away for some privacy. "Hey, you! I didn't think you'd be able to call today. Aren't you guys practicing?"

"_Well, we are. But we've got a quick break and I wanted to give you a call to let you know I was thinking about you."_

"Aw!" Gabriella gushed into the phone. "I miss you," she told him.

"_I miss you, too, Babe. What are the plans for tonight?"_

"Well, my LSAT prep group was going to meet tomorrow but it got changed to tonight, so Taylor's coming with me. She thinks she's learning more at Yale and can contribute something, so she wants to prove a point."

"_Sounds like Taylor," _he joked. "_So, your study group, huh? Is Davis going to be there?" _Troy worked to keep the irritation from his voice at the thought of his girlfriend's study partner.

"Um, yeah. He's in the study group, Troy."

"_I just can't help but think that if that man had a woman-"_

"Excuse me?" Gabriella interrupted. "'_Had a woman_'? What's that supposed to mean?" It was rare that she and Troy argued, and she was hoping that this wouldn't turn into one... especially with Taylor so near.

"_Babe, calm down. It just means that if he had a girlfriend, he'd leave you alone."_

"You've heard me talk about Davis for two years now, and now all of a sudden your jealous because you know what he looks like? Do you think I'm that shallow, Troy, that I would dump you for another guy because he's good looking?"

_"__So you admit he's good looking?" _Troy asked. Gabriella's frustrated groan told him that wasn't the right thing to say at that time. __"No, but maybe because he's good looking and shares more interests with you and is smart like you and isn't a lunkhead basketball player..."__

Gabriella leaned her head back and banged it against the back of the chair, letting out another groan at the repetitive topic of conversation. "Oh, my gosh! Not this again! Troy, we are not going there right now!"

_"__Well, I'm just sayin..."_

"Well don't, Lunkhead. Okay? Just don't."

_"__It's just that I can't help thinking and wondering what if you find someone who you have more in common with-" _he tried to continue their seemingly never ending topic, but was cut off by Gabriella.

"Troy, I think we'd better hang up while you're still standing upright. We wouldn't want that hole that you're digging to get too deep, otherwise you won't be able to get out."

"_Oh, geez,"_ Troy said, leaning his head back against the wall that he was leaning on. "_Gabriella, I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"_

"You did, Troy. You're jealous that there's a guy who pays attention to me and you can't stand that you're not here to come to my study groups and be possessive like I know you would at least try to do." She heard the coach's voice calling the team back into the gym from the other end of the phone, followed by Troy's frustrated sigh.

"_Can I make this right later?"_

"You can try to."

"_I love you, Babe."_

Gabriella swallowed. "I love you, too. But we're talking about this later!"

"_I know. I'll try to give you a call tomorrow. We have a game, so I don't know what time I'll be able-"_

"That's fine. I'll talk to you later." Gabriella hung up before he could respond, released a deep breath, and rolled her eyes before standing up and making her way back to the table that she and Taylor had occupied a few moments earlier.

"What was that all about?" Taylor asked her.

"He's jealous."

"Mmmm-mmmmm," Taylor said with a pointed look at Gabriella.

"What?" Gabriella asked, confused.

"He's afraid that someone's going to try and worm his way in and push Troy to the side, isn't he?" Gabriella narrowed her eyes at Taylor's statement and scoffed.

"Taylor... just... that's not... ugh! Just shut up!" she growled. Gabriella stood up and threw her cup in the outside trash can and turned back to face her friend. "Are you ready? Let's go find something to eat before we have to come back to this side of town."

Taylor stood and followed Gabriella back to the car, working the whole way to hide her smirk that was fighting to make itself known on her face.

"I am so finding you a man while you're here..." Gabriella grumbled as she put the key in the ignition and started the car. In her frustration at her best friend, she threw it into reverse a little harsher than intended. Taking a deep breath and releasing it to calm herself, she backed it from the parking space and drove in the direction of the apartment.

**TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF**

Later that evening found the girls sitting at a table in the back corner of Stanford's law library surrounded by the other four members of Gabriella's study group and their books. About halfway through the study session, the group decided to take a much needed break. Taylor and Gabriella stood to stretch their legs and walked to the bathroom.

"Oh, my gosh!" Taylor gushed, tugging on Gabriella's arm once they were in the privacy of the second floor bathroom.

"What?" Gabriella asked.

"I didn't notice Friday night how good looking he is!"

Gabriella furrowed her eyebrows in confusion as she worked to process who Taylor was talking about. _There was only one person from the study group who was there the other night, _she thought to herself. Finally, it dawned on her who Taylor was talking about and her eyes widened in surprise.

"Are you talking about... Davis?" Gabriella asked, as she pointed her thumb in the direction of the bathroom door, signifying the table where the rest of the group was sitting.

"Yeah!" Taylor told her.

"Uh-huh," Gabriella said with her mouth hanging open in disbelief. "And where was all this the other night?" she asked, using her finger to gesture at the air between them.

"I don't know!" Taylor said. "Does it matter?"

"Well, kinda! Taylor, if you had mentioned this the other night, I could have said or done something and could have avoided all this misunderstanding with Troy that happened today!"

"I'm sorry!" Taylor exclaimed, taking Gabriella's hands in her own, her way of begging for forgiveness. "I can't do anything to act on it, though," she said, shrugging her shoulders in defeat.

"Why not?" Gabriella asked.

"Well, because I'm leaving in a few days," Taylor told her friend in her best _'Well, duh!'_ tone. "Those long distance relationship types... they kinda don't work out that well. I speak from experience, remember?"

Gabriella chewed on her lip while she weighed the options of what her friend was telling her. Suddenly, her face lit up as an idea dawned on her.

"Well, Tay, you know... just one date, right? What harm will it cause for you to have one date while you're here?"

"Well-"

"And plus there's Facebook, Twitter, email, phone calls... Staying in touch would be easy," Gabriella continued, ignoring Taylor's attempt to interrupt her.

"Gabs-" Taylor tried again, and again Gabriella ignored her and continued.

"We're both graduating soon. Arizona and New Mexico are neighbors. It wouldn't be totally long distance. I think you should give it a shot. You never know until you try, right?"

Gabriella watched as Taylor appeared to be considering her words. Taylor didn't have to say anything; the look on her face said it all. _You're right, Gabs. One never knows until they try._

"So?" Gabriella continued after a moment of silence. "What do you say? Are you ready to have some fun while you're here?"

"You're right. As usual," Taylor conceded. "Just one date, right? What's it going to hurt?"

"Great!" Gabriella's excited grin was quickly spreading across her face and her brown eyes lit up. "Now just go give him your number while I use the bathroom! I'll be right back out there."

Gabriella turned and walked toward one of the stalls, but turned back around and grabbed one of Taylor's arms, stopping her in the process of exiting the ladies' room.

"Tay, wait!" Gabriella waited until she had Taylor's full attention before continuing.

"Yeah?" Taylor asked as she turned around to face her friend.

"If you don't do this, I'll do it for you before the night is up!" Gabriella threatened.

"Oh, don't worry, Missy. I'll do it," she said as she yanked her arm free. "That man out there will have a number before the end of the night," Taylor told her with a smirk and a wink before turning back around to fully exit the restroom.

**TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF**

When Gabriella returned to the table, she noticed that Taylor and Davis were leaning over the table with their faces close to each other, talking in soft voices. She grinned to herself when she spied Taylor jotting something down across the top of Davis' notes.

_That better be her number that she's writing down,_ she thought to herself as she took her seat. However, it was another hour and a half before she got her answer. The group called it quits for the night and Gabriella was finally able to question her friend about her secret conversation. It wasn't until the two were safe in her car with the doors closed when she saw her opportunity to dig for information.

"Well?" she asked, turning to face Taylor and using the Cheshire cat grin that made its appearance only occasionally.

"You can expect a call later tonight," Taylor told her with a smirk of her own.

"_What_?" Gabriella's grin quickly faded as her confusion took over. She found herself closing her eyes and taking several deep breaths before she continued. "Taylor, please tell me you mean that you gave him the land line number at the apartment... where you can be reached while you're here."

"Oh, come on, Gabriella. You said so yourself, this guy is hot. 'Just one date, Tay. You'll never know otherwise...'."

"First of all, I didn't say he was hot. You did. And second of all, don't you dare throw my words back in my face!" Gabriella was working hard to keep her anger at bay and not blow up at Taylor.

"Look, Gabriella," Taylor began with a sigh as she pushed a strand of hair from her face back behind her ear. "I get that you and Troy have this thing, this... whatever it is... going on, but seriously? It's been over 5 years and he hasn't put a ring on your finger yet! How much longer are you going to wait?"

"We're still in college, Taylor! And for your information, Troy and I _have_ talked about marriage." Gabriella didn't know if she was more frustrated at Taylor for doing what she did, or at herself for feeling like she needed to defend her relationship with her best friend.

"Honey, 'talking' about marriage does not tell the other guys who have 20/20 eyesight that you're taken. I bet there are guys on this campus who are having babies in their pants when they see you just walk by. Have other guys ever even asked you out since you've been here?"

"Yes, actually I have had other offers," Gabriella admitted.

"And what do you tell them?" Taylor knew she was pushing Gabriella's buttons, but she had the feeling deep down that something needed to be done to make Gabriella realize what was on the verge of passing her by.

"I tell them that I have a boyfriend."

"Honey," Taylor started softly, "Just 'having a boyfriend' isn't enough anymore. Men know that a boyfriend only means so much. It takes a lot more than just a boyfriend to scare men away and cause them to leave you alone. They won't leave you alone until you have at least one ring on your finger."

Gabriella furiously shook her head in disagreement. "I can't talk to you about this. No matter what I say, you're going to blow it off and try to convince me that you're right. Well, this time, Taylor... you're not."

Gabriella turned her attention back out the front window, wiping at her unexpected tears with a vengeance. She was determined to not show her hurt and anger to Taylor- not here, not now. She needed very badly to talk to Troy, but knew that chances were slim that she would get the chance to do so that evening, especially with the time difference. If it was 9:00 in San Francisco, it was midnight in Athens, Georgia. Gabriella decided with a sigh that she'd have to wait until the following night.

_Please, Davis, please... don't call until I can talk to Troy. I don't know what I would say to you if you call tonight. At least if you call tomorrow, I'll have the chance to talk to him and gain a little more insight, _she thought to herself as she steered the car back in the direction of the apartment on the other side of town. Neither of the girls spoke the whole way back, leaving the car in an uncomfortable silence.


	6. Feelings Show

**Hey, everyone! Guess what? I've got a little surprise for you, but it comes with conditions. 1) Forgive me for leaving yall hanging. As I previously mentioned, I had a lot of personal, real life stuff going on and it was getting hard for me to focus on What the Future Holds. I had to take a break from posting and concentrate on writing the story. But that's about to change... somewhat. 2) Please keep in mind that I'm still not finished writing the story, but I've gotten far enough along that I can start posting again. I'm about to start on chapter 17 and I expect there to be approximately 25. That being said, I will post a chapter a month. Hopefully that'll keep yall satisfied! ;-) 3) It may benefit you to go back and skim through- or even read in their entirety- the previous five chapters, just to refresh your memory. **

**And as always, I don't own anything except the storyline and my imagination from which it comes. I hope yall enjoy!**

**Chapter 6**

Taylor flinched as Gabriella slammed the driver's side door shut. She rolled her eyes as she opened the passenger door and climbed out, slamming her door as well in the process behind her.

"Gabriella!" she called out to her hostess, increasing the speed of her steps to try and catch up. She reached her hand out and tried to tug on Gabriella's arm to try and turn her around so they could be face to face. "Gabriella, will you stop, please, and let's talk about this?"

"Talk about this, Taylor?" Gabriella asked as she yanked her arm free and turned on her heel so fast that it caused her guest to stumble while taking a step back. "You want to talk about this? What do you want to talk about?" Gabriella watched as Taylor squared her shoulders and prepared herself for a face-off as she struggled- yet failed miserably- to keep her voice down. Instead, it raised many decibels with each sentence she spoke. "The fact that you went behind my back and did something against my wishes? The fact that you basically lied to me? Or the fact that you have no faith in my relationship with Troy?" Taylor had no verbal response; she just locked her eyes to Gabriella's fiery gaze in a silent challenge. "And from the look on your face, you're not even sorry." Gabriella turned back around and stormed off toward the breezeway of the apartment building before their discussion got any more heated in the complex parking lot for all the neighbors to hear.

In the midst of her anger, Gabriella struggled to get the door unlocked. When she finally did, she crossed the threshold and reached down to take her shoes off one at a time and threw them across the room, one of them flying over the bar top into the kitchen area and landing in the sink. She walked around the room full of rage muttering to herself.

"...can't believe she did this. How dare she? Where's the phone? I need to call Troy."

"It's obvious you just need to sleep this off. We can talk about this more tomorrow," Taylor spoke up, keeping her voice calm despite the anger she was receiving from her best friend.

Taylor's voice caused Gabriella to stop mid rant.

"'Sleep this off'? You're right, Taylor. _We_ need to sleep this off. Who knows? Maybe tomorrow you'll realize how _wrong_ you were and fix this mess before it gets any worse." Gabriella snatched her purse from its spot on the floor where it landed when she threw it down and walked into the bedroom she shared with Troy and shut the door behind her, locking it in the process.

Taylor let out a sigh and sank down on the couch. She reached for the remote and turned on the television, quickly finding a marathon of _Friends_ reruns on Nick at Nite. She pulled one of the throw pillows into her lap and allowed herself to get lost in the world of Central Perk. About ten minutes into the episode, Taylor laid down across the cushions and pulled the blue and gold Berkeley blanket from the back of the couch and snuggled down under the covering. It wasn't long before she fell asleep right there on the couch, with the television still playing, basking the room in a soft glow.

**TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF**

The next morning, it wasn't the sun streaming in through the blinds that woke Taylor. It was the sound of a phone ringing from behind the closed door of the bedroom. She listened as the ringing stopped and she heard Gabriella's voice speak to who- after a quick glance at the clock on the DVD player and doing the mental math to figure the time difference- she assumed to be Troy on the other end. She strained as she tried to make out what was being said on Gabriella's end, but found it difficult to decipher the hushed tones.

"That girl really knows the meaning of a 'private conversation'," she mumbled to herself, as she threw the blanket off her body and pushed herself off the couch, stretching her body as she stood. She made her way into the kitchen and grabbed the coffee pot, filling it with water. As she made her way around the kitchen, she continued her one sided conversation.

"Eventually, she'll see that I did have her best interest in mind. She'll come around." As she hit the power switch on the coffee maker, she heard the bedroom door open. Taylor turned around in time to see Gabriella walk across the hall to the linen closet and retrieve a clean towel before turning back around and going back into the bedroom, closing the door behind her once more and not giving one look in Taylor's direction.

**TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF**

Gabriella took a deep breath and released it slowly, lifting her head and allowing her eyes to focus on the ceiling above her as she let the warm water run down her body as she processed the last thirty minutes of her morning. She closed her eyes as she let her mind wander back to the morning conversation with Troy, which resulted in tears and ended with seeing Taylor making coffee in the kitchen, regardless of how much she was trying to avoid her.

Gabriella didn't sleep very well when Troy was gone as it was, so coupled with what went down between her and Taylor last night, she really didn't sleep at all. Her mind kept playing their conversation over and over, and she tried to work out how she would tell Troy. For that reason, when the sounds of Bruno Mars sounded throughout the bedroom at 8:15, she was more than anxious to talk to him.

"_I'm so glad you called," she said into the phone, foregoing the customary 'hello' greeting._

"_I'm glad I called, too," he told her. "I'm sorry it's so early. I hope I didn't wake you."_

"_No, you're fine. I actually wasn't asleep. Just thinking. I need to get up soon and start getting ready for class anyway."_

"_What are you thinking about?" he asked tenderly._

_When he heard Gabriella take in a deep breath, he knew their conversation was about to take a serious turn. "Troy, I need to tell you something."_

_It was those six words that caused Troy's stomach to drop. "Oh-kay," he prompted her. "Go on, I'm listening."_

"_How long do you have? I don't want to get into this if you only have a few minutes. It can wait until tonight if we need it to."_

"_I'm on a break until 1:00. We've got time." He had a feeling he knew what was coming and, as much as he didn't want to hear it, he just wanted it out in the open and get it all over with. Like a band aid- the best way to take it off is just to rip heard Gabriella sigh before she started speaking again._

"_Okay, but first, you need to know something."_

"_What's that?" he asked. He was working hard to keep his frustration at bay. 'Hear her out first, Troy. Don't get worked up over what could be nothing,' he told himself._

"_I need you to know that I love you. And I didn't do this. Taylor started it and it all just grew from there. Promise me you'll hear me out before you get all worked up."_

"_Gabriella-" _

"_Troy, please. Promise me. I need you to be calm."_

_Troy sighed as he ran his hand through his hair- a sure sign that he was losing the battle over his annoyance and he was glad that she couldn't see him. "Fine," he told her._

"_Troy..." Gabriella's knowing tone told him that that was not what she wanted to hear._

"_I promise!" he finally relented with a roll of his eyes._

"_Thank you," she said. "Now, last night when the study group was meeting, Taylor saw D- ...a cute guy... and I told her to go talk to him. I encouraged her to give him **her** phone number so the two of them could go out while she's here and possibly stay in touch when she goes back to New Haven." She paused, giving him time to let her words sink in._

"_I feel a 'but' in there," he calmly told her. "Go on." _

"_But she gave him **my** number instead of hers and he's going to call me."_

_Troy sat there dumbfounded. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He didn't realize how long he was silent until he heard Gabriella's voice calling out to him. _

"_Troy? Troy, are you still there?"_

"_Yeah," he said._

"_I don't know what to do-" she started, but Troy cut her off._

_"Do...do you really want to go out with someone else?"_

"_What? No! No, of course I don't. It...it's just that Taylor was talking and you and I have been together for five years now and...well...there are people who've been together less than that-"_

_"-who are engaged?" he interrupted her. "Is that where this is going, Gabriella? Because we've talked about marriage. We've talked about it a lot. And you've never been upset that we decided to wait to be engaged. You know I want to marry you. You **know** that."_

_"Troy, I know. I know, you're right. I just... You know what? I won't even answer the phone. This is no big deal really. I don't even know why I told you." _

_"I do," Troy said, letting out a sarcastic huff._

_"What?"_

_"I know why you told me. You told me because of Taylor. She's never thought we could really make it. She's never thought I was good enough for you. And now you're starting to believe her. Especially ever since she and Chad broke up... it's like she's jealous that you and I **do** have something special and that they couldn't find it, so she wants to mess up what we've got. And now she's got you questioning it as well." _

_"No, Troy, she wouldn't do that. She knows us. And 'good enough' has nothing to do with it. She knows that what we have is special. She knows I love you, and that you love me. She just wants to make sure that you and I are sure... about each other. We haven't questioned that for a long time, if ever. At least, I haven't. Have you?" Troy tried to ignore the quivering of her voice. He knew that the deep brown eyes that he loved to look into were filling with tears and she was fighting to hold them back._

_"No! I've never questioned it because I've don't need to. I know that there's no one else out there for me. No one but you." Troy pressed his lips together feeling the tightness in his chest from the pressure he knew Gabriella was feeling from both him and Taylor. "Sure, Taylor says she knows it, but she doesn't believe it. Brie, Baby, listen to me." Troy wanted to make sure she understood the severity of his next statement and purposefully made sure his tone expressed all the emotions he felt in his heart. "I know I'm all the way across the country right now. But if you want me to propose to you I'll do it right here over the phone. That's how sure I am. I'll get down on one knee and get some of the guys to witness it if you want. That's not how I want it to be, but for you... Baby, you know I'd do that." He stopped talking when he heard her sniffling on the other end. He knew her so well that he could almost see her using the sleeve of his old Wildcats tee shirt to wipe her face. Pushing that picture from his mind, he continued. _

"_Gabriella, I don't know what to think right now. If you aren't sure... if there are doubts in your heart about me- about us... then maybe Taylor is right. I don't want to pressure you into anything. I want you to be positive that you love me and that you want to spend the rest of your life with me. All I know is that I'm getting angrier at Taylor every second and I'm halfway across the country and not there with you to do anything about this." He paused in his heartfelt speech to swallow deeply, trying hard to get his emotions in check before continuing. "But you gotta tell me, Gabriella... right now, you've gotta tell me. Do you want me to propose right now? Forget what Taylor has said; forget the other guy that's going to call you. Right now, Baby, it's just me and you. I'll make it happen if that what you want." _

"_This isn't how it's supposed to be, Troy. I don't want a proposal like that. I don't want it to be because someone is pushing you into it. I want it to be special and meaningful and-" her voice trailed off as she choked back a sob._

"_So you want me to wait. You want me to make it special. You want me to be able to look in your eyes and tell you how much I love you and how much I want you to be my wife. That's what you want, right?" Troy felt the knot in his throat and stomach tighten as he waited for her response._

"_Troy..."_

_His name. She didn't say 'yes' or 'no' or anything else to give him a real answer of what she wanted. Just his name._

_Troy cleared his throat and decided to just continue with Gabriella's initial conversation. "So what are you going to do if this guy calls?"_

"_I don't know. I don't want to go out with anyone else, but I don't want to seem rude, either. Does that make me evil?"_

_Troy couldn't hide the sarcastic chuckle at the last part of her previous statement. "No, Babe. That doesn't make you evil. That makes you you." Suddenly a thought entered his mind. Troy took a deep breath as he prepared to voice said thought. As much as he didn't want to, he knew he needed to. He just had to know. "Gabriella?"_

"_Hmmm?"_

"_Who's the guy?"_

"_What?" she asked, not sure if she heard him correctly or not._

"_The guy that Taylor gave your number to. Who is it?"_

_She licked her dry lips to moisten them as she prepared herself to get him fired- up all over again. "It's Davis," she told him, her voice a small whisper._

_The silence on the other end told her that he was none too happy with that revelation. She knew his silence was not a good sign. "Troy?" she quietly urged. _

"_I've got to go," he told her._

"_Talk to me. Please?" she begged. _

"_I can't talk about this right now." _

"_Don't shut me out, Wildcat," she pleaded in a small voice that threatened to break his heart- as if the rest of this conversation hadn't already._

"_I'll talk to you later tonight. I just need to take some time to process everything, otherwise I'm gonna say something that I'll regret later. I love you, Gabriella Montez. Don't forget that." He hung up before she had the chance to respond._

"_I love you, too, Wildcat," she said to the dial tone that sounded through the phone. She hit the 'end' button and took a deep breath to calm her emotions, wiping her face with the sleeves of the oversized shirt she was wearing, before climbing from the warmth of the bed and making her way into the hallway towards the linen closet to get a clean towel so she could prepare to begin her day. _

**TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF**

Gabriella finished her shower and got ready for class in record time. One, she didn't have Troy there to distract her as he usually did and two, she was so ready to get out of the house and away from Taylor. She didn't know yet if she was angry at her friend or not, but she certainly didn't need to be in an enclosed space with her. She needed to get far away and process everything in her own way and her own time.

Her mind was already going in overdrive. When she got out of the shower, she noticed that her phone was blinking with a missed call. It was a number that wasn't programmed in her contacts list, but she was almost certain the missed call was from Davis. She keyed in the required numbers to access her voice mail and found out that she assumed right.

"_Hey, Gabriella, it's um... it's Davis. I was just calling to uh... to see if you wanted to have lunch with me today? You can either give me a call back or I'll see you in class."_

She rolled her eyes and let out an aggravated sigh as she hung up.

"Davis, you know I have a boyfriend," she said to herself. "Why are you even trying?" _Oh, yeah,_ she thought to herself. _Taylor told you to try._ "Do you think that by calling, you're going to somehow worm your way into my heart? It's not that easy. Would've thought that you, of all people, would know that. Not gonna work, my friend."

With that, she picked up her Coconut Lime Breeze body splash from Bath and Body Works, gave herself a few final spritzes, took her phone off the charger, and emerged from the bedroom.

"Hey, look who's up," Taylor said, trying to strike up a conversation.

Gabriella continued to ignore her as she proceeded to fix her coffee in her red tumbler cup. As she came around the kitchen bar, she leaned down and picked up her book bag, throwing it over her shoulder as she walked towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Taylor asked.

"Class," Gabriella told her, closing the door behind her, leaving Taylor alone in silence.

Taylor gave a small sigh. "I think I liked it better when you were yelling at me. At least then you were talking," she said, directing her words to the closed door of the apartment. She looked over and found her phone sitting on the side table next to the couch and picked it up, scrolling through her contact list and finding the name of the one person that she knew she could talk to that wouldn't necessarily replace Gabriella, but would at least come close. Finally she heard the person answer after three rings.

"_I've missed talking to you the past few days. Are you having a good time in San Fran?"_

"Can I use you for awhile?"

"_For what?"_ the person on the other end asked with a smirk.

"I did something and I need to talk it out."

"_And you think I can help?"_

"Well, Chad, seeing as how it involves Troy and Gabriella, I think you might be interested," she told him.

"_What did you do and how much work will I have to do to fix it?" _he asked knowingly.


	7. Indecent Proposal

**Back with yet another chapter! I know I'm taking my time on this one, but do you want it quick, or do you want it right? That's what I thought... right it is! ;-) Thanks, Anna- a second pair of eyes always helps! PS... I don't own anything, in case you've forgotten. Just the storyline. Enjoy and don't forget to review. We've been slacking in that department lately.**

**Chapter 7**

"_I've missed talking to you the past few days. Are you having a good time in San Fran?"_

"Can I use you for a while?"

"_For what?"_ the person on the other end asked with a smirk.

"I did something and I need to talk it out."

"_And you think I can help?"_

"Well, Chad, seeing as how it involves Troy and Gabriella, I think you might be interested," she told him, tucking her feet underneath her as she settled back on the couch.

"_What did you do and how much work will I have to do to fix it?" _he asked knowingly.

"And what exactly makes you think that what I did even needs fixing? Can I not call one of my best friends just to talk?"

"_Well, yeah, you can. But Tay, you yourself just said you did something. This is just like when we were dating- you were always trying to throw me off then, too. And besides, do you ever call me 'just to talk'?"_

"Chad! Of course I do. I enjoy talking to you."

"_Taylor, seriously. The last time you called me 'just to talk' was... Well, I don't think you've ever called me 'just to talk'. Every time you and I talk on the phone we're either plotting and scheming or fighting or working our way into a make up. Now, which category does this phone call fall into? Since we haven't been fighting, I don't think it's a make up. Although that would be nice..." _Chad let his voice trail off, expecting to hear a come-back of some sort, as he held the phone to his ear, listening to the silence coming from the other end. _"Taylor? I also know that the only time you're silent like this is either when you're studying or something has happened and you're feeling bad about it. And since this is your Spring Break and you have nothing to study for this week, it must be the second option."_

Taylor gave out a sigh as she took in what Chad had just said as she processed how she was going to explain the situation. "I think I might have messed up royally this time, Chad."

"_Okay, you've got my attention. What happened?"_

"Aren't you in Athens this week, too?"

"_I am."_

"Have you not talked to Troy? I figured he would have told you everything by now."

"_Taylor..."_ he said in a warning tone. _"You're procrastinating and you've never been good at it. Now you better talk to me before I __**do**__ go find Hoops and get a one-sided story and form an opinion before I hear both sides, because you know I'm good at that and I'm trying to change that about myself!"_

"I guess the best way to do this is just to start at the beginning, huh?" When she didn't get a response, Taylor rolled her eyes and took a breath, gathering all her courage. "Okay, so you know how in college almost all couples get engaged at some point in their junior or senior year? I mean, you told me yourself that your roommate just asked his girlfriend last month and that four out of the six seniors on your team are also engaged."

"_That's because the other two don't have girlfriends to propose to,"_ Chad pointed out reasonably.

"Chad, you're one of those other two," she said.

"_And that's exactly how I know that's the real reason I'm not engaged right now and it's not because I got rejected," _he joked.

"You never did handle rejection well," she teased.

"_You're getting off topic, McKessie."_

"You can't blame me for trying," she muttered. "Anyway, it occurred to me that I haven't gotten that excited, over-the-moon phone call from Gabriella. I just started getting concerned."

"_Concerned about what?"_

"Well, I just couldn't help but wonder if she and Troy were having problems or something. That's all."

"_Wait, just because they aren't engaged, you think they're having problems?" _Chad asked. _"Who are we talking about here? Taylor, that's insane and you know it!"_

"Well, I know that now. Especially after what I did."

"_What did you do?"_ When he was met with silence, he continued. _"Lucy, I think you have some 'splainin' to do,"_ he said, using his best Ricky Ricardo imitation.

"Chad?" she said, trying to hide the smile from her voice.

"_Yeah?"_

"That was a horrible imitation."

"_But did it get my point across?"_

"Whatever," she said while rolling her eyes. "Anyway, like I was saying, I came out here and they looked happy, but I started wondering if they really are. I mean, is she hiding her disappointment behind her smiles? Is she really okay with the fact that Mr. Basketball Hot Shot hasn't proposed to her yet? He's putting her off and I think she's holding herself back waiting for him, Chad."

"_Wait, **you** think? Gabriella and Troy know what they want for their future, Tay. So what is she holding herself back from,Taylor? Marriage? From being prepared for her future? From making sure she and Troy have everything in order and are really ready to get married?"_

"No, Chad, from other guys who may be a better match for her and are ready to get married. She has to get herself out there, make sure she looks at all of her options and make it known that she _is_ still available. There are other guys out there who can make her perfectly happy and are ready for marriage _now_. She just has to get out there and meet them."

"_Tay, Baby, this is Troy and Gabriella we're talking about. You may not think they're perfect for each other- although I still can't figure out why, because even Sharpay sees it finally." _He let his voice trail off with that thought before he quickly jumped back in to finish his first comment._ "With anyone else, she'll be miserable for the rest of her life. Taylor, listen to me. Troy is ready. He'll get on one knee and pop the question to her today if he thought it was the right thing to do."_

"Why would it not be the right thing to do, Chad? If you ask me, he's just slowly pushing her away and he doesn't even realize it."

"_Taylor, I hate to tell you this, but you do realize that your opinion doesn't count in this situation, right? Did you know that Troy already has a ring for Gabriella?" _Chad let out the one nugget of information that he knew he shouldn't have. He couldn't help himself, though. He was slowly getting frustrated at Taylor and the direction in which the rest of her story was going and he had to say something to get her to see how foolish what she was saying really was.

"He what?" she asked, making sure she heard Chad correctly. "Then why hasn't he given it to her yet? What in the hell is he waiting on?"

"_He's waiting on a decent job after he graduates so he can not only pay for a decent honeymoon, but also make sure he can save some money up for him and Gabriella and their future. He knows that she's going to law school after Stanford and he doesn't want her to feel like she has to work for the next three years and study her butt off at the same time. He wants to take responsibility and be able to fully provide for her. He's actually doing the right thing by not proposing to her yet."_

Taylor hesitated with the new information she had just been given. "I guess all of that does make sense," she relented. "But it may be too late for them."

"_What did you do?"_

"I maybe kinda sorta stepped in," she told him as she pulled one of the thumbs up to her mouth and started chewing on the nail.

"_'Maybe kinda sorta'? Taylor, why am I suddenly nervous?"_

"Gee, Chad, you make it sound like I always meddle."

"_Cricket, cricket,"_ Chad joked.

"Charles David Danforth! I am so not a meddler!"

"_Well, Taylor Elizabeth McKessie, why don't you tell me what you did and let me be the judge of that?"_

"Well, there's this guy-"

"_Oh, man. Taylor, really?"_ Chad asked, rolling his eyes despite the fact that she couldn't see him.

"Will you let me finish?" she asked. When she didn't hear a response on the other end, she continued. "Look, last night, Gabriella and I went to a study session for her LSAT prep class. There was a guy there. I mentioned that he was good looking and she kinda convinced me that I should give him my number. I walked over to him and started talking and found out that he's actually liked Gabriella for some time now. Since freshman year, actually. So I picked up a pen to write down my number, except..." Taylor said, allowing her voice to trail off at the very end.

"_Except what?" _he prompted her to continue.

"...except it wasn't _my_ number I wrote down."

"_Taylor, tell me you didn't," _he warned. Taylor opened her mouth to continue with the story, but was cut off by the sound of a knock on the door on the other end of the phone.

"Is that your door?" she asked.

"_Yeah, it is. Hang on a sec." _Chad pulled the phone from his ear and held it in his hand as he stood from his spot on the bed in his hotel room and made his way across the floor to the door, opening it without looking through the peep hole.

"You will _not_ believe what she did this time! I can't believe I even considered agreeing for her to visit while I'm not there!" Chad's eyes grew wide when they focused on the person who had just pushed his way past him and into the room before he brought the phone back to his ear.

"I'll call you back later." Chad then hung up the phone without waiting on a response from Taylor before shutting the door and turning to greet his best friend and rival who was currently pacing the length of the room, setting his phone on the dresser as he passed in the process. "What are you doing here, man? Aren't we supposed to be rivals this week?"

"We'll go back to being rivals in a little bit. Can't I visit my best friend for a while?"

"Hell yeah, but... let me guess... you need to vent about Tay?" Chad asked, receiving a glare from Troy in response.

"Can we not mention _her_ name? Can't she just be 'that other girl' for the duration of this conversation?" Chad chuckled at Troy's request.

"Is she that bad of a house guest?" he asked, not letting on that he already had some inkling as to what Troy was talking about. "I'll tell you what," he continued after Troy didn't answer. "Why don't you tell me what she did and let me decide about what kind of house guest she really is? Don't forget that she and I have- well, you know. We've been house guests toget- you know what? Nevermind."

"Dude, I don't need the details of that week again," Troy told him, referring to the time during their sophomore year when Troy, Gabriella, and Taylor all returned to Albuquerque for a week during Thanksgiving. All three stayed with the Boltons for a few days- for the purpose of spending those days just catching up. Troy and Gabriella returned from a grocery store run for Troy's mom only to walk in on Taylor and Chad playing their own game of 'catch up' in Troy's bedroom. "I've not been able to use those sheets since."

"Sorry," he said with a grin. "So what happened?"

"I called Brie this morning," Troy began with a hint of melancholy in his voice.

"Yeah? So why so down? I thought talking to Gabster usually cheered you up?"

Troy ran his hand through his hair and took a deep breath before continuing. "Not when she tells me that Taylor has given her number to some other guy and that she's actually thinking about what she wants and is starting to doubt me and the fact that I have a plan."

"She said that?"

"Not in so many words, but I know her, you know? I can tell she's got some new thoughts in her brain. I know what she's saying without her actually saying it."

"Why don't you tell me about the conversation? Maybe it's not as bad as you think," Chad offered, not letting on that Taylor had already told him.

"Maybe if I just tell her about the ring-" Troy started as he sat down on the bed, only to be interrupted by Chad.

"No!" Chad practically yelled, catching Troy off guard. "No, Man," Chad said, a little calmer. "You can't do that. I mean, you have this whole plan of how and when. You've thought this through. You are so close; you can't ruin it all now just because Taylor's on a rampage or because some other guy has Gabriella's phone number."

"But what if he calls her?"

"Then he calls her," Chad said pointedly, shrugging, as he leaned against the low dresser across from the bed and crossed his arms in front of his chest, tucking each of his hands under his armpits. "Do you doubt Gabriella's love for you?"

"No," Troy answered without hesitation.

"Then trust her to make the right decision. Just let it go for now. So another guy has her number. Does this guy know that she has a boyfriend that she's practically married to already?"

"You've heard me talk about this guy from her study group, right? The one who's been after her since our freshman year?"

"Yeah," Chad said slowly. "What was his name again? David or something like that?"

"Davis," Troy corrected him. "He's the one that Tay gave Gabriella's number to. This guy has been after her since our third week out in California."

"But she's turned him down every time, right?" He paused to see Troy nod in agreement. "Then why do you think this time will be any different?"

"Because of Taylor," Troy told him honestly.

"I'm not quite sure I'm following where you're going with this..." Chad admitted.

"Taylor is the one who's trying to convince Brie that she absolutely has to be engaged by the time we graduate. She's telling her that if I haven't proposed by now then I'm apparently not going to."

"So you think that due to Taylor's incredibly persuasive ways, Gabster's going to freak out about you and the relationship you two have and have had for the past how many years now?"

"Almost five and a half years," Troy said while looking down at his feet.

"But now that's all going to hell in a hand basket just because of some crazy idea Taylor has? And I bet it's one that she probably got from her sister who has crazy ideas to begin with."

Troy looked at the ceiling as he silently pondered what Chad told him. He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "You're right. I should just let it go for now. There's no use in worrying about something that is more than likely not going to happen. Right?"

"That's right. Just concentrate on your game this afternoon. Your team needs you to be 500 percent today."

"You've been watching?" Troy asked as he looked back in Chad's direction.

"Oh, yeah, Man. Gotta check out the competition," he joked as he ducked a pillow that Troy threw in his direction.

"Yeah, I'll see you later. Thanks for listening."

"Hey, that's why I'm here, right?" Chad said. The two stood and walked towards each other, meeting for a brotherly hug and giving each other a few manly pats on the back. "This is Gabriella Montez we're talking about. The one who for some crazy reason is head over heels in love with you- although I can't understand why- no matter how many times Tay or anyone else has tried to change her mind."

The two said their goodbyes and Troy left his friend's hotel room. Chad waited until the door closed before picking up his phone from the top of the dresser where he set it when Troy first came in. He found her name in his contacts list and quickly hit send, waiting patiently and smiling to himself as he heard the ring back tone of Katy Perry's "Firework" on the other end.

"That song is so you, Gabster."

"_Hey! You've reached Gabriella. I can't get to my phone right now. Please leave me a message and I'll call you back as soon as I can. Have a blessed day!"_

"Gabster!" he practically yelled into the phone, as per his standard greeting in anyone's voicemail that all his friends have grown so accustomed to hearing. "I'm sorry you missed me. We both know that talking to me is the highlight of your day. Call me. I need to talk to you. Bye for now."

Chad busied himself getting prepared for the afternoon's games and it was just a few minutes later when he heard Bruno Mars' voice sound throughout his room.

"_Today I don't feel like doing anything. I just wanna lay in my bed. Don't feel like picking up my phone, so leave a message at the tone. 'Cause today I'm not doing anything."_

He picked up his phone and smirked when he saw the name and picture show up on the screen of his phone as he answered it.

"If this isn't a brunette, smarty-pants, Stanford student, then I don't want to talk to you."

"_Hey, Chad," _she greeted her friend.

"This must be a good day for you," he pointed out.

"_Why do you say that?"_

"Because it sounds like you're smiling. Are you having a good visit with Taylor?" he asked, not letting it known that he not only had talked to Taylor and Troy but also knows what's been going on. He listened as Gabriella let out a frustrated sigh.

"_I can't believe her. Let me tell you what she's done."_

"Honestly, you don't really have to. I've um, I've already talked to her and to Troy both."

"_Oh," _she said softly. _"So um, so you know about what's going on?"_

"Yeah," he told her, trying to tap into the brotherly role that he had perfected over the years. Despite the fact that Gabriella was older by exactly two months, Chad still felt like an older brother to her and she didn't hesitate to let him step into that role whenever necessary. This was one of those times in Gabriella's opinion.

"_What are your thoughts?" _she asked, hearing him release a sigh.

"How did I know that question was coming?" he asked with a sigh. "That's a tough one, Gabs. I don't know. I mean, on the one hand, Taylor is just looking out for you. Or at least she thinks she is. But there's this part of her that doesn't know Troy like you and I do. She doesn't see how happy you really are. She just knows that there are other guys out there who see how _hot_ you are."

"_Chad..." _Gabriella said with a roll of her eyes. She had become more confident in herself in the recent years, but was still uncomfortable with being called 'hot' by anyone, including Troy.

"On the other hand," he quickly rushed on, "I can see how what she did would bother you and Troy. I mean, here you two are, happy and ready to start planning for your future soon. All it takes is her doing what she thinks is helping to really throw a wrench in all those plans."

"_'Think' being the key word, Chad. If you're not sure that something is going to help after all, then by golly, keep your nose out of it!"_

"You know this is part of the reason she and I broke up, right? I mean, other than the distance. Her sister convinced her that she needed to play the field and see who else was out there. Maybe in our case she was right. But in your case, I don't think she is. What she did really ticked you off, didn't it?"

"_Uh, yeah!" _she told him sarcastically.

"Why?" he asked. When he was met by nothing but the sounds of breathing, he continued. "Oh my God, you're thinking, aren't you?"

"_What?" _Gabriella asked him, confused, as she sat down on the bench near her favorite tree on the campus of Stanford. The same tree that she and Troy came to many times to 'get away'. The same tree she and Troy waltzed around when he came to convince her to go back to East High their senior year.

"You're thinking. Why are you thinking? It's fine to be angry at her and hurt. What she did... she shouldn't have done. I'm not going to defend her on this. But don't think about what she did, Gabs. Just roll your eyes at her and move on. You were perfectly fine and dandy, happy with the way things were for you and Troy. Taylor walks in with her crazy ideas and gives your number to some other guy and now all of a sudden, you're thinking. She's got you thinking that maybe things aren't as peachy as you believed. She's made you think about the others that are out there. Oh, Gabriella, tell me you're not. Please tell me you're still happy and all that." Chad's tone turned to pleading and it didn't go un-noticed by Gabriella.

"_Don't worry, Chad. I am still happy and everything." _Chad released a breath that he didn't realize he had been holding, only to catch it again with her next words. _"But what if-"_

"No!" he yelled. "Gabriella, no 'what ifs', okay? Things are fine. Things are the way they're supposed to be. I mean, you and Troy... that's the way it's supposed to be. You guys have a plan-"

"_We do?"_

"Well, yeah. Don't you?"

"_Not one that I'm aware of. Other than conversations we've had here and there, but that's not a plan. There's been no mention of when or how or even __**if**__ he's going to propose. At least, nothing that has been brought to my attention. Do you know something that I don't?" _she prodded, trying to get some information.

"But you have _talked_ about marriage. You've talked about your future _together_, and you've talked about that with each other. Your future is you and Hoops. You know that," Chad pressed seriously.

"_I thought I knew that. But, you know, maybe Tay has opened my eyes to other possibilities..."_

"Well, stop listening to Taylor!" Chad ordered. "My point is," he continued, "don't do anything rash. I mean, if someone calls-"

"_They already have."_

"What?" Chad asked, shocked at this new puzzle piece. He was not expecting the other young man to have the guts to move so quickly, especially with Troy still in the picture. "What do you mean 'they already have'?"

"_I've already gotten a phone call from the guy that Tay gave my number to."_

"And?"

"_He left me a message on my voice mail asking if I wanted to get lunch today."_

"And are you?" he asked her. _Please say no. Please say no. _He tried hard to ignore the voice inside his head and focus only on Gabriella.

"_I don't know," _she said. Chad pulled the phone from his ear and beat it against his forehead a few times, pulling it back to his ear when he heard her voice continue speaking. _"What would it hurt if I did?"_

"I can't believe that I'm hearing you say that. Gabriella, do you realize what that would do to Troy? Just hearing that you are even thinking about going to lunch with another guy- and we're not talking a study date here... Gabs, seriously?" He felt his own heart sink a little at her admission.

"_Chad, we're just friends. Me going to lunch with Davis-"_

"Wait, with who?" he asked, raising his eyebrows as his eyes grew wide.

"_A friend of mine. His name is Davis. Why?"_

"Gabriella, I'm telling you now as someone who loves you, don't go to lunch with _that_ guy."

"_And why not, Chad? It's my life."_

"Gabs... I just-" Chad stopped to really think about what he wanted to say, what he wanted her to do, and how her decision could affect his very best friend. "I just want you to think about everything. How will this affect Troy knowing that you're having lunch with this Davis guy? This isn't just some random guy. We both know what Troy thinks of Davis. You call it jealousy, I call it fear. Either way, it means it hurts him." Chad hoped that what he was saying would somehow penetrate into her thick skull.

"_Are you going to tell him?" _she asked pointedly.

"No, but I think you should."

"_Why? So I'm going out to lunch with a friend. I can do that. It's not like Troy and I are engaged or anything."_

"Wow. This is a side of you I don't know... and I'm not sure Troy does either. If this is what Taylor brings out in you, I can see why Hoops is so upset. You've been talking to Taylor way too much. Gabs, you asked for my opinion and here it is: I think that if you go to lunch with this Davis guy, you'll be making a huge mistake." When he was met with silence, he leaned his head back in frustration and looked at the ceiling. "You know what? Do what you want. You're right; it's your life. But do me a favor, okay?"

"_What's that?"_

"When this all blows up in your face, don't say that I didn't try to warn you." Chad didn't give her a chance to respond before he hung up. He ran his hand along his face and shook his head. "Oh, Hoops, man." He looked at his watch, noticing the time and grabbed the key card to his room before walking out with plans to set off in search of Troy.

**TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF**

It didn't take long for Chad to find Troy. He headed straight to the gym where he knew Troy would more than likely be and found him in the locker room. As he sat down on the bench in front of the lockers across from where Troy was, he heard Troy's side of yet another phone conversation. It didn't take much for him to put two and two together and figure out that Taylor was on the other end. His heart broke for his best friend, his brother, and the situation that was going on, but he also felt bad for Taylor. Yes, what she did was wrong and she shouldn't have stuck her nose in where it didn't belong, but at the same time, she thought she was helping. That was the kind of person Taylor was; could anyone blame her?

"The longer you are there the more upset she gets and the angrier it makes me. We've lived together for seven months and have loved each other for a lot longer. Just because you can't find the same kind of love doesn't give you the right to barge in on what we've got and try to break us up... I don't care, Tay. You _know_ Gabriella is sensitive and naive when it comes to love and dating and just friendships in general. You _know_ she questions herself every day about me loving her and not some cheerleader bimbo and there are times that I have to reassure her of that - and I'm happy to do so every time! But she has enough of her own doubts without _you_ coming in and making things a hundred times worse... Come on Taylor, she's supposed to be your best friend. Can you not just keep her company while I'm gone and tell her that I love her? Do you have to take the chance to drive some wedge between us that doesn't belong there?"

Chad watched as Troy stood and started pacing, running his hand through his hair and then rubbing the back of his neck. He signaled for Troy to turn on the speaker phone function, and then heard Taylor's voice come through the phone.

_"I'm sorry, Troy, but I just think she deserves to know that other men are interested in her. If you're not going to marry her, then she needs to know that someone else will. You aren't the only man out there. There are bound to be others who can satisfy her needs just as well and are willing to promise her forever with **real** commitment."_

Troy turned his eyes to meet Chad's and the fire that Chad saw there caused him to shrink back in fear. In all the years that he'd known Troy, he'd never seen him this angry.

"Damnit, Taylor!" Troy seethed, making Taylor very happy that they were several states away from each other at that moment. "I _have_ promised her forever, Taylor! I _have_ given her every piece of my heart and I _am_ committed to her more than I'm committed to anything else in my life. I love her and she knows that. There is _no_ reason she should question that! _NONE_! You're sticking your nose in where it doesn't belong, Taylor McKessie. You may be brain-smart but with your heart you are obviously clueless. For your information, Gabriella and I _have_ talked about marriage. _We_ are working on a plan for _our_ lives, _our_ marriage, and _our_ future. And guess what? None of those plans involve your opinion. So keep it to yourself!"

Troy quickly hung up and turned to face Chad. "Now do you see what Gabriella and I are dealing with?"

"Then I guess this would be a bad time to tell you that I've talked to Gabriella."

"You did?" Troy asked, interested yet still hesitant. "What did she say?" he asked almost shyly.

"She's uh-" Chad watched his best friend pace one way, then turn and practically stumble as he paced back in the other direction. "-she got asked out to lunch by a 'friend'," he said, using his fingers to make air quotes, causing Troy to stop, catch himself, and lift his face to stare at Chad.

"And?" Troy prodded.

"And she's thinking about going," Chad told him softly.


	8. Decisions, Decisions

**Hello, all! Here's another chapter for you. Please remember... I don't own anything about this story. Not the characters, not the University of Georgia (GO DAWGS!), nothing. Just the plot line. **

**Enjoy and review, please! **

**Chapter 8: Decisions, Decisions**

Troy stopped his pacing and turned to face Chad. He stared at his friend for several seconds while he processed what he had just said before bursting out in forced laughter.

"I'm sorry, Chad. Man, it just sounded like you said that Gabriella was thinking about going to lunch with this other guy." He continued with the fake laugh until he looked at Chad's face and saw the unsmiling expression. "Chad?" Again, he was met by silence. "No. No, she can't be," he said, shaking his head.

Suddenly, without warning, he picked up the closest basketball from near his feet and threw it with all his might against the lockers that were ten feet away from him, causing Chad to begin an internal battle with himself.

_Should I stop him from destroying the place?... No, let him get it all out. Better here than over the phone to Gabs._

He crossed his arms and watched as Troy turned almost animalistic: punching the lockers, turning his duffel bag upside down, ranting about 'that guy'... It was a side of Troy that Chad had rarely seen in all of their almost twenty-two years of friendship.

_If someone sees him like this, he'll be benched for the game. Maybe even the rest of the tournament. _

With that thought, Chad stood from his spot on the bench in front of the row of lockers and stepped in front of Troy, calmly placing his hands on his friend's shoulders. The look in Troy's eyes didn't match his angry outburst. Instead, it showed Chad the hurt that was in his heart. Chad took a deep breath and nodded to let his friend, his confidant, his 'brother', know he understood his pain and confusion.

"Troy. Hoops. Dude, it's real, but listen to me. First off, she said she's _thinking_ about it. That may not mean squat to you right now, but it's what she said, okay?" Chad waited for some kind of reaction, a sign from Troy, letting him know that he was listening. When he received an eye roll in response, Chad continued. "Second, think about where you are right now- where _we_ are. I know it's hard, but you've gotta push the confusion outta your mind for now. You have to focus on your game. Focus that angry energy on the net and let that ball fly. For the next couple of hours, the game is all that matters. We're in your backyard, going at it like we always have, okay? It's East versus West, all over again, Man. I know you love her; I know that. But right now, it's not the girl. It's the game." Chad paused once again, watching as the blueness in his eyes brightened up slightly. "Alright. Now, give me your phone. I'll hold on to it while you're playing. If someone calls, I'll handle it. Just get out there and play your ass off like you always do."

"But-" Troy started, only to be interrupted by Chad shaking his head and holding his hand out. Troy sighed, pulled his phone from his pocket and slammed it in Chad's open palm, then continued with a nod. "You're right. I can't think about what's going on back in San Fran right now. It's too distracting. The game is what matters right now. After that I'll try to call later and hopefully we can work through it all. Thanks."

"Hey, Man, you're welcome. I'm no sap, but I care, okay? I don't like this anymore than you do. But I couldn't just sit here and let you take it out on the locker room... too risky. If someone had seen you-"

"I could have been benched. I know." Troy turned to exit the locker room, only to stop in the doorway when he heard Chad call out to him.

"Hey, Hoops!"

Troy turned around and Chad approached him, speaking quietly so only Troy could hear him.

"What team?" he asked with a smile.

"Wildcats, of course. Always..." Troy responded with a grin of his own. The two 'brothers' gave each other their signature fist pump before going their separate ways- Troy out to join his team in their warmup activities on the court and Chad to find his seat in the bleachers.

**TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF**

When the game was over, Troy didn't take the time to shower and clean up. He just changed his clothes and met up with Chad out in the gym. With it being their last night in Athens, the two already had plans in place to grab dinner before their good-byes, knowing that it would be two and a half more months before seeing each other again. Those plans were in place when the guys first found out about the tournament and long before this whole mess with Gabriella. Given everything that Troy found himself dealing with, he was looking forward to this night with Chad and the two beers that he would set as his limit.

Within minutes, he and Chad found themselves sitting in a booth tucked away in the far corner at the bar and grill that was within walking distance to Stegeman Coliseum and the campus of the University of Georgia. Chad was talking excessively about the tournament, about his classes, and about finals and graduation which were quickly approaching.

"...and then Sharpay called and told me that Ryan would be in town and would I be willing to get together with them while he was home-" He stopped talking when he realized that Troy wasn't listening. Instead, he was playing with the phone that he had been holding in his hands ever since the two left the coliseum about fifteen minutes prior. "Dude?" he said, trying to get Troy's attention. No response. "Hoops?" he tried again. "Troy?" Again, the same result. Finally, Chad tried a different approach. "Hey, look! There's Gabriella! Hey, Gabster, over here!" Chad stood and waved his arms in the air, causing Troy to finally look up at him.

"What? How can Gabriella be here? She's in San Francis- Hey, wait. What are you doing?" Troy asked.

"I was trying to get your attention! It worked, didn't it?"

"What are you talking about? I've been paying attention," Troy told him.

"Oh, really? What have I been saying?" Chad challenged.

"You've been talking about... um, about the uh... the Balloon Fiesta coming up back home?" Troy asked, hopefully.

"Dude, shut up. The Fiesta's not until October; you know that! You've so not been paying attention to me."

"Sorry, Man," Troy mumbled.

"Whatever," Chad said. "If I didn't know what was going on with you, I'd be offended."

"I don't know what I'm going to do, Chad," Troy pointed out forlornly. "I can't do anything while I'm not there, not until I get back. Anything can be going on right now while I'm gone."

Chad grabbed Troy's phone from him and instantly found Gabriella's number. He brought it up on the screen and held it out to Troy. "Call her," he instructed.

"What?" Troy asked.

"Call. Her." He watched Troy as he appeared to be contemplating what Chad just said. "What would you say to her if you did talk to her?"

"I don't know, to be honest with you," Troy admitted.

Chad finally gave up on waiting for Troy to take the phone back from him and hit the green send button before holding it up to his ear, hearing the familiar Katy Perry ring-back tone on the other end, and then placing it against Troy's ear. "Well, you better think fast. It's ringing."

Troy sat there frozen in his seat, his eyes the size of saucers. He just stared at the phone in Chad's hand and watched as the seconds on the timer increased. Finally, he shook his head to release himself from the daze he was currently in and grabbed the phone, bringing it to his ear.

"When did I ever become scared to talk to my girlfriend?" he asked Chad, rhetorically. "I haven't been this nervous since she first came to-" He stopped talking when he heard her voice on the other end.

"_Hello?"_ she said. _"Troy?"_ she asked when she was met by silence. _"Are you there?"_

"Yeah, hey. I'm here, sorry. Chad was distracting me." Troy looked up in time to see Chad shaking his head in disbelief. "Hang on a second, Babe. Let me go outside. It's a little less noisy out there."

"_Okay." _

Troy pointed to the picture of a Sam Adams on the table tent, signifying to Chad to order him one. "I'll be back in a few minutes," he said, receiving a nod from Chad in response. When he exited the restaurant, he continued with his conversation.

"Oh, Baby, I miss you so much," he sighed into the phone.

"_I miss you, too. How was the game this evening?"_

"It went okay. Our defense was all over the place and allowed way too many points for their offense. I got fouled a couple of times. Andy, Nick, and a couple of the others did, too. It was a game we ended up winning, but we didn't deserve to."

"_Hey, a win is a win, right?" _she told him, repeating words that she'd heard him say on numerous occasions in the past.

"Yeah, you're right."

The two sat in an uncomfortable silence for several seconds. Finally, Troy broke the ice.

"Gabriella, what in the world is going on?"

"_What do you mean?"_

Troy sighed, fighting to keep his frustration at bay. "Gabriella, Chad told me that you're going out with-"

"_**Thinking**__ about,"_ she clarified.

"Fine, _thinking_ about. Whatever." He paused as he ran his hand through his hair, trying to get his thoughts in order. "Gabriella... I just..." His voice trailed off with his uncertainty of what he really wanted to say.

"_Troy? It's just lunch. It means nothing."_

"To you!"

"_What?" _she asked, not sure if she understood what he was getting at or not. _"What do you mean to me?"_

"Brie, this guy wants more than just lunch with you. He has since our freshman year," he pointed out. "Every time I turn around, this guy is trying to swoop in and push me out of the way."

"_Troy, it's not like that." _He couldn't help but notice the pleading tone in her voice.

_Why is she trying to convince me?_ he wondered.

Troy closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm himself before his next question. He breathed out slowly and opened his eyes. "Brie, Baby, don't do anything until I get home."

"_Troy, I think the decision is mine. It's not like we're-"_ she stopped talking when she realized what she was about to say.

Troy's breath caught in his throat when he caught on to the unspoken ending of Gabriella's previous statement.

"Go ahead and say it, Gabriella. You were going to say that it's not like we're engaged. I don't own you. I have no say in what you do. That's it, right? That's what you were going to say?"

"_Troy, don't do this please," _she pleaded. Troy felt his heart break a little more as he heard the emotion in her voice.

_How can she do this to me? To us?_

"Don't do this? Gabriella, I'm not the one considering going out with another guy!" he spat out. "I think I should be the one telling you to not do this!"

The two slipped back into their uncomfortable silence that was typically uncommon for them. Troy leaned his head back and banged it on the window that was behind the bench he was sitting on while- back in California- Gabriella played at the hem of the tee shirt she was wearing... an old high school basketball practice jersey of Troy's that she always seemed to find comfort in. Finally, Troy spoke up again.

"Brie, Baby, I need you to promise me something."

"_What's that?" _she asked in a small voice.

"Please don't do anything until I get back. I'll be home tomorrow; we'll talk this out and make a decision then."

"_'Make a decision'?" _she asked, as her voice cracked with unshed emotion. _"What do you mean by that?"_

"Please, Brie. If you cherish what we have together at all, please. Just wait."

Gabriella couldn't believe what she was hearing. _Is that... an ultimatum? _

"_Fine,"_ she told him.

"Thank you," Troy said. "I'll talk to you tomorrow. I love you."

"_I love you," _she told him as she pulled the phone from her ear and hit the end before he could say anything else.

Troy stood from his spot on the bench and went inside, weaving his way through all the other tables on his way back to his seat. He immediately picked up his bottle of Sam Adams and took a big swig before he turned his attention to Chad.

"Well?" Chad asked. "What'd she say?"

Troy shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Chad, it was almost like she was trying to convince me that it'll be okay for her to go out with this guy. That lunch is 'no big deal'."

"And?" Chad prompted.

"And I asked her to please wait till I get home before she does anything. I told her we'd talk about it and we'll make a decision together," he said as he stared down at the bottle in his hands.

Chad let out a low, disbelieving whistle.

"What?" Troy asked, picking at the corner of the label.

"Dude, you realize that you just basically gave her an ultimatum, right? You're basically pushing her into this other guy's arms." He watched as Troy froze in his motions, considering the words just spoken, and slowly lifted his head so he was looking Chad in the eyes.

"Damnit," he mumbled, taking another long sip from the bottle.

"Can we get another round, please?" Chad called out to the passing waitress on behalf of his best friend.

**TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF**

Back in California, the mood in the apartment was filled with tension. Gabriella hung up her phone and crossed the room. She selected a movie from the shelf and inserted it in the dvd player, settling down on the couch with a bowl of popcorn. Ten minutes into the movie, Taylor emerged from the bathroom, fresh out of the shower, and spotted Gabriella on the couch. She took a deep breath and tentatively approached her.

"May I?" she asked, pointing to the spot next to Gabriella. Gabriella eyed her guest and scooted over, making room on the couch.

"This doesn't mean I've forgiven you," she pointed out.

"I'm okay with that," Taylor told her. "For now," she added after a short pause. "I know it's going to take you a while to get over what I did, but you'll realize that it was for your own good. I had your best interest in mind. I just want you to know that I don't want you to miss out on anything. You deserve to be happy."

"I am happy with Troy, Taylor. That's all that matters. But I'm not going to talk about that right now. I just want to enjoy _Twilight_ and the joys that are Robert and Taylor."

"I can do that," Taylor agreed. The two girls locked gazes; Taylor's eyes were hopeful- hopeful for forgiveness and longing for her apology to be accepted- while Gabriella's look was one of confusion. The two broke their stare and turned their focus back to the television set.

When the movie was over and the credits were rolling an hour and fifty minutes later, Gabriella hit the power button on the remote, bathing the room in silence.

"Have you decided yet?" Taylor asked hesitantly.

"Does it matter? Whatever I decide is going to be the wrong decision to someone."

"Gabriella-"

"No, Taylor. If I go out with Davis, I hurt Troy. I hurt us and what we have. If I don't, I hurt Davis. And what's more important, I hurt you and perhaps ruin one of the best friendships I've ever had only because you don't approve of what Troy and I have. So regardless of what I decide, I come out as the bad guy and I'm not sure I want to deal with that."

"Can I just say one more thing and then we're done?"

"Can I stop you? I mean, I've tried stopping you for the past three days and haven't been successful yet. Is there a stop button for you when it comes to butting into my personal life?"

"I deserve that," Taylor softly admitted.

"You think?" Gabriella snapped. Taylor looked down at the floor while chewing on her lip, but not before Gabriella caught the look of pain on her face. She let out a sigh before continuing. "Look, Taylor, I know that you're just doing what you think is best. You think that you're looking out for my best interest. You think I'm just wasting away while waiting on Troy. But can I tell you something?" She paused, waiting on Taylor to nod. "As harsh as this is going to sound, it's true and I don't mean for it to hurt you. But Troy and I have been having problems these past few days that he's been gone. Do you know why?" Taylor lifted her eyes from the floor to study Gabriella's face.

"Why?" she asked quietly.

"Because of you," Gabriella told her. "Because of all this crap you've had me thinking about. Troy and I have been trying to talk about all of it and come up with a solution _together_, but every time we do, we end up arguing. So for that, I say thank you. Thank you for practically destroying my perfect relationship that I already have. Or maybe I should put that in the past tense- my perfect relationship that I _had_. We'll find out when he gets home tomorrow." Having said what she'd been holding in, Gabriella stood from the couch and picked up her phone from the coffee table and walked into the bedroom, shutting the door behind her and leaving Taylor sitting on the couch with the tears silently falling down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry," she whispered into the silence of the living room before standing from her place on the couch and following Gabriella's lead and locking herself in the other bedroom for the evening.

**TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF**

Gabriella found herself pacing the length of the bedroom, casting glares at her phone every few seconds.

"How could the two of you be against me so much?" she asked the inanimate object, obviously not expecting a response. "I know she was the instigator, but you're on her side!"

She stared at the device for a few seconds before groaning in frustration. "That's real nice, Gabriella. Talk to the phone like it's going to respond. Is there a safe place to hide from the nice men with the white coats and restraints when they come to get you?" She rolled her eyes at herself as she resumed her pacing.

She flopped herself down on the bed with an over dramatic groan.

"What to do? What to do?"

Suddenly, as she laid on the bed trying to make sense of everything, Taylor's words from the other night came rushing back at her.

"_...just 'having a boyfriend' isn't enough anymore..."._

"_It's been over 5 years and he hasn't put a ring on your finger yet! How much longer are you going to wait?"_

"You know what?" Gabriella said out loud into the silence of the bedroom. "I won't have answers otherwise." She leaned over and picked up the phone from the it's spot where she set it on the bedside table and found the number she was looking for in her contact list. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, gathering her courage before she hit send. When the person on the other end answered, she voiced her greeting.

"Hey, it's me. Um, do you have a minute?"


	9. Devil's Advocate

**Chapter 9: Devil's Advocate**

Sharpay Evans was one who grew up believing that the world was hers. It was her stage for all to watch her many performances of all different types. Anything she ever wanted, she got. And if- Heaven forbid- she was ever told 'no' on something, she would find a way to make it hers. That included any guy she wanted, too. That is, of course, until Gabriella Montez showed up at East High at the beginning of the second semester of their junior year.

Sharpay instantly found herself doubting the innocence of 'The New Girl' and found herself with a nemesis and enemy for life- especially when the sights of Sharpay's current "love of her life" shifted. She was crushed when she realized that Troy Bolton wasn't admiring her after all, but- much to her dismay- Gabriella instead. Sharpay had her suspicions of their budding relationship, but they were confirmed when she spotted them sharing sweet kisses in the corner of the room at her and her twin brother Ryan's seventeenth birthday party.

Most would have thought that once she learned of what she eventually referred to as "the worst mistake of his life"- given the fact that she discovered the truth on the night of her and Ryan's seventeenth birthday- she would have gone over the edge and locked herself in her bedroom in a fit of tears. That was not the case for the self-proclaimed Owner of the Stage, however. In the amount of time it took one to breathe, Sharpay had made the decision to extract revenge in any way possible. And so, when the Wildcats all landed jobs at Lava Springs the summer between their junior and senior years, she found the perfect opportunity for said revenge... although it backfired tremendously.

Senior year came and Sharpay managed to find a way to tolerate Gabriella. Her tolerance soon became friendly. Before she knew it, they were sharing hugs and tears at graduation. Sharpay spent several days asking herself _How did this happen? I'm not supposed to like her!_, but eventually decided that wasting her time asking herself that only gave her early crow's feet and worry lines, so she gave up trying to figure it out and just accepted it and the budding friendship only grew over the next few years. Each girl even considered the other one of their best friends and made it a point to get together whenever Gabriella was in town with Troy visiting his parents.

Which is why when her pink, bedazzled iPhone rang on that particular Tuesday evening, she was not surprised to see Gabriella's face and name show up on the screen.

"I was just thinking about you!" she practically shrieked into the devise.

"_Hey, it's me. Um, do you have a minute?"_

"Oh, dear. This sounds like a Moose Tracks ice cream kind of conversation. How many scoops should I get?" Gabriella's responsive sigh was just the confirmation that Sharpay needed to alert her that this conversation was about to take a different turn than what their conversations of the past typically took. "Gabriella? Is everything okay? Where's Troy, still in Georgia?"

"_Yeah,"_ she confirmed. _"He comes back tomorrow evening."_

"What's going on?" Sharpay asked, becoming all ears.

"_So you know how Taylor came out here for her Spring Break?"_

"Yeah..."

"_Well, she... She's just..." _Gabriella allowed her voice to trail off, not sure of how to vocalize all of the thoughts that were running through her mind.

Sharpay could hear the emotion in Gabriella's voice and put down the script she was currently studying. "Gabriella? Just take a deep breath." She paused and heard Gabriella following her instructions. "Now, just start at the beginning. I'm listening."

Gabriella chuckled at the irony of Sharpay's statement. _"Really? You're listening? You mean you're not studying Shakespeare or Tennessee Williams or Ibsen?"_

"Well, I was working on the blocking for my senior show, but I've done enough on it for tonight. My mind needs a theatrical break."

"_Wow. I didn't think I'd ever hear those words come out of your mouth," _Gabriella joked.

"Yeah, I know. Mark this day down on the calendar!" Sharpay returned the joke. "Now, enough joking. Tell me what's going on."

Gabriella backed up in her story, all the way to a few months ago when Taylor first started attempting to place doubts about Troy and his long term plans in Gabriella's head. It took a while, but she finally made her way to present day- the party, the study group, the whole 'I gave him your number instead', the phone call from Davis, the argument with Troy...

"_I don't know what I'm going to do, Sharpay."_

Sharpay sat in awe at Gabriella's story. "Wow. I wish I'd had Taylor on my side in high school. I can't believe she _actually_ has you _doubting_ something about your relationship!" she surmised. "Sweetie, it's obvious you love Troy and he loves you. He wouldn't be this upset over everything if he didn't. Tay's probably lucky he's not there! Boy, she really does have good timing for causing problems, doesn't she? I really could have used her to help me win Troy in high school!"

"_Shar..."_ Gabriella said, attempting to get her friend back on the topic at hand- something she had become a pro at doing within the past few years.

"Forget that, though... as for him waiting to propose-"

"_Yeah, what exactly is up with that? If he loves me the way he says he does, don't you think-"_

"Now, stop right there! You, Gabriella Montez, above anyone else, know that Troy is a very practical person. He doesn't take any decision in his life lightly. Hasn't he told you that he wants to wait?"

"_Yeah,"_ Gabriella said. _"But he hasn't told me why,"_ she continued.

"Gabriella, you know why," Sharpay started pointedly. "You know Troy. And if you really think about this, you know why he wants to wait."

"_What?"_ Gabriella asked, confused.

"We both know why he's waiting, Gabriella."

Gabriella let out a snort of frustration through her nose and shook her head. _"Wonderful. I don't need riddles or lessons right now, Sharpay. Just come right out and say it. How am I supposed to know? He won't tell me, but he told __you__? No offense, Sharpay, but he told __**you**__, of all people? I'm sorry, but I'm having a hard time believing that one."_

"He didn't tell me, Gabriella. He didn't have to."

"_I'm confused and my head hurts," _Gabriella admitted sheepishly.

"Welcome to my world. Why do you think I went brunette? I was sick and tired of all the blonde jokes." Gabriella giggled softly and Sharpay continued. "See? I made you smile a little. Now back to the topic at hand. Do you want to know why?"

"_I guess. Go ahead."_

"The fact that he's waiting doesn't mean that he doesn't love you. He's waiting _because_ he loves you. I'm betting that he just wants to be sure that he can find a job so he knows that he can take care of you the way he should be able to as a husband before he even proposes, much less marries you."

"_How do you know that?"_ Gabriella asked.

"Since when are you _not_ in the mood to think about your relationship? Come on, Gabriella! It's simple. I know because that's Troy. He's always been like that. Did he ever tell you about the time that Ryan was having a hard time in p.e. when we were little and Troy helped him to understand whatever sport is was they were learning about at the time?"

"_No, he didn't."_

"It was the middle of winter and the temperature had severely dropped by about twenty degrees or so within just a few hours. It was very uncommon weather for Albuquerque. Well, Troy stayed and helped Ryan as long as he needed him to. The next day he wasn't in school. Come to find out from Chad, Troy got sick with the flu and missed the whole week. All because he put someone else first." Gabriella's silence prompted Sharpay to continue. "Gabriella, he's probably just doing what Troy does best: putting you first."

Gabriella paused, considering Sharpay's words. _"I guess you're right. But Sharpay? Can I ask you something?"_ Gabriella broached the topic carefully.

"Of course. What?"

"_Well, Taylor says that just because we've talked about marriage doesn't ward off other men. She thinks that I need to have the ring on my finger for these other men to leave me alone. That's why she gave my number to Davis. He called and asked me to lunch and I don't know what to do. I mean, I love Troy, but..."_

"Honey, just because you're considering going and having lunch with Davis doesn't mean that you _don't_ love Troy."

"_Then what would it mean if I did go to lunch with him?"_

"Honestly?" Sharpay ventured.

"_Yes, please," _Gabriella begged her to continue.

"First of all, please know that this is not me taking Taylor's side in this, okay? I'm just playing Devil's Advocate for you."

"_Fair enough,"_ Gabriella replied, encouraging her to continue.

"The two of you aren't married yet. And if you are having any doubts at all- for example, that 'but' you mentioned when you said you loved Troy- then they're something _you_ have to figure out yourself. Troy was your first boyfriend, right? Well, your first serious boyfriend, anyway. The way I see it, you've never really been alone. You were sixteen when you came to East High and immediately got into a relationship. You've been in this relationship for five years now. You've _grown up_ in this relationship. You've been TroyandGabriella since you were sixteen. Do you even know who you are as an individual? You've been known as 'Gabriella Montez, Troy Bolton's girlfriend' for years now! It's your turn to figure out who 'Gabriella Montez, fabulous budding attorney' is. No matter what you have to do to figure that out, it needs to be done. And- I hate to say this, but- maybe you also need to find out if there's another man out there who might make you just as happy."

When Gabriella didn't respond, Sharpay continued. "Look, I don't want you to think that I'm telling you to break up with Troy. Believe it or not, that's _not_ what I want. Maybe five years ago, but I've grown to love you both too much to see either of you hurt." The two girls shared a soft chuckle at Sharpay's joke regarding their past before she continued. "Gabriella, this is by no means going to be an easy decision. I don't envy you one bit in having to make it. But maybe you do need to go out with some other guys to help you realize just how much you really do love Troy. I wish I could help you figure out the right thing to do. Unfortunately, I can't. But, Sweetie, that's the best advice I've got."

Gabriella chewed on her bottom lip as she listened to Sharpay, contemplating her words. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly before she spoke.

"_Assuming I do go through with this lunch, how do I explain all this to Troy?"_

"Honey, if Troy loves you like I and everybody else know he does, then he'll understand and step aside like the wonderful man who would do absolutely anything for you that he is."

"_Thank you, Sharpay."_

"For what?" Shapay allowed her gaze to shift over to the picture on her bedside table of the group of friends together on their graduation day almost four years previous- with Troy and Gabriella displayed prominently front and center.

"_Thank you for making me think- outside of the books. I haven't done that in a while."_

"Well, you're welcome. Gabriella, good luck with all of this; let me know what happens, please."

The two girls said their good byes and ended their call, both thinking about the future of the TroyandGabriella relationship.

**TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF**

Gabriella hit the end button on her phone after her call to Sharpay and tossed it on the bed beside her. She allowed her friend's words to echo in her mind as she tried to process all that she had just been told.

"_You've been TroyandGabriella since you were sixteen. Do you even know who you are as an individual?"_

"_... maybe you do need to go out with some other guys to help you realize just how much you really do love Troy..."_

Gabriella decided to throw caution to the wind and made the call that she'd been dreading since yesterday morning when she first got the invitation.

_Just take a chance, Gabriella,_ she told herself. _This doesn't mean you don't love Troy, but there are things you need to find out. You'll never know if you don't at least try._

One ring... two rings... three rings... four-

"_Hello?" _

Gabriella quickly took note of the breathlessness of the person on the other line.

"Davis? It's Gabriella. Am I interrupting anything?" she asked.

"_No. No, not at all. I had been out for a run and heard my phone ringing as I came through the door,"_ he quickly answered. _"How are you?"_

"I'm um, I'm good. Thanks for asking." There was an uncomfortable silence for a moment, both waiting on the other to speak first. Finally, Gabriella caved. "Um, Davis, I uh... I'm sorry I didn't call you back yesterday. It's kinda been a crazy couple of days."

"_Yeah, I kinda figured something was going on. I mean, you avoided me all day yesterday and today didn't get any better. I was beginning to worry that I had really jumped off a ledge with the lunch invitation."_

"That's sort of why I'm calling," she ventured.

"_Oh, okay. What's up?" _His voice went from out-of-breath to nervous as he waited for her reply.

"Is the invite still good?" There was a lengthy pause on the other end. "Davis? Are you still there?"

"_Uh, yeah. Yeah, I'm here."_

"Then... how about it?"

"_I'm- I'm sorry, Gabi. Yeah, it's still good. Definitely still good. You just caught me off guard, that's all."_

"Really?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "How?"

"_Well, in all honesty, I wasn't expecting you to accept."_

"Why not?" she challenged.

"_Well, what about Troy? I mean, the other night, your friend Taylor told me that you liked me, so I just took a chance. I didn't think you'd say yes."_

"Well, first of all, Davis- and please don't take this the wrong way, but- I didn't say that I liked you, just that I thought you were good looking. Taylor kind of took that and ran with it. She has a tendency to do that very often. Secondly, don't worry about Troy. I can handle him when the time comes."

"_So he's okay with us going out?"_

"That's not what I said..." Gabriella paused as she tried to figure out how exactly to put Troy's thoughts into words. "We're just talking lunch here, right?"

"_He doesn't know, does he, Gabi?"_

"You know what, Davis? That's all kinda new to me, okay? It's lunch. Can we not talk about Troy or Taylor and what's going on with them right now? Please?" she requested.

"_Fair enough. I guess you'll tell me when you're ready, right?"_

"So what about tomorrow? Should we meet somewhere, or just go after class?"

"_Change of subject duly noted. How 'bout we just go after class?"_

The plans for lunch the next day were made and the two ended their conversation. Gabriella hung up the phone and moved into the bathroom to begin her routine for getting ready for bed. She washed her face, brushed her teeth, and rubbed her moisturizer onto the skin of her face and neck. She emerged from the bathroom and climbed into bed, cuddling down under the comforter. Out of habit, she reached for Troy's pillow and pulled it flush against her body. Gabriella buried her face in the large cotton rectangle and took a deep breath, inhaling his fragrance.

She looked toward the picture of them that sat on the bedside table and reached out to run a finger over his face. "It's just lunch. I just need to know who _I_ am. I don't want to hurt you, not at all. Why are things suddenly so complicated between us?" she asked the silence of the room.

She moved her hand back to the pillow and closed her eyes. "Please don't let me regret this decision. Please let everything work out. I love him so much... I know I do. This will just prove it to myself, and Taylor, and anyone else who needs to know it." Fighting back the tears and swallowing the lump that had formed in her throat, Gabriella rolled over- bringing the pillow with her. She placed a gentle kiss against the soft cotton and breathed in again. "Good night, Wildcat. I love you."

**TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF**


	10. Bombshell

_I tried to get this published exactly seven minutes ago- at midnight, EST- but that didn't work out too well. As it stands, though, a few minutes past midnight on November 11, 2012, isn't too bad. Why was I shooting for midnight? Well, it's a (low budget) birthday present for a dear friend! :-D (Ps... your card is in the mail!) **Happy birthday, Anna! I less than 3** you! And for all of you in the USA, today is what my 6 year old calls "Veterinarian's" Day, so make sure you honor your pet's doctor today! Lol!_

_I hope everyone enjoys! (Oh, and by the way, I've speculated in the past that this story will be between 20-25 chapters? Well, I just recently started work on chapter 21 and it's looking like it may perhaps be more than 25... just so you know.) Blessings to all!_

**Chapter 10**

When he awoke that Thursday morning, Troy stretched out across the bed in the hotel room he had been staying in. He would never admit to this but, like Gabriella, he too had a hard time sleeping when he traveled and she wasn't next to him. He had an uneasy night's sleep under normal circumstances, but last night had been particularly bad.

After the tense conversation with Gabriella outside the sports bar that he and Chad went to, he worked hard to bring his attitude back down to a normal level. Chad did what he could to cheer his friend up, but found that he himself wasn't able to do the trick. He watched as Troy downed a total of five beers- three more than he would allow himself normally- and decided to just let him go and calm down in his own way. He made the decision, however, to stop Troy after five if he didn't stop himself, but his input wasn't needed. Troy was always careful when it came to alcohol- he knew his limits and knew when to stop.

However, with having partaken of more than his usual two, he found himself waking up this morning not only lonely, but also with a slight headache. He grimaced at the sunlight that hit his face before getting up and stumbling into the bathroom to find the bottle of Advil that he kept in his toiletry bag. It mainly was kept there should he need it for his knee injury, but this morning, it was needed for a different reason. He glanced at the clock on the table beside the bed and did his mental math trying to figure out exactly how much sleep he did end up getting last night. The last time he remembered glancing at the clock, it read 2:23 a.m. He finally drifted off to a restless sleep and woke again a little bit after 4:00 a.m. when he found himself in the midst of a dream. A dream that he would probably classify as more of a nightmare than anything else.

_He was back home in San Francisco, standing in the parking lot of the apartment complex that he and Gabriella had made their 'home' for the past seven months. As he worked to get his bags from the bed of his truck, a car pulled up. The giggle from the passenger side of the car was all too familiar. As he turned his attention in the direction of the unfamiliar car, he spotted his current nemesis getting out on the driver's side and walking around to the passenger's side. Troy watched as Davis opened the door and held a hand out, offering his assistance to the person on the other side of the car and to his horror, his own girlfriend stepped out. Neither noticed Troy as he watched the scene play out in front of him; they just walked up the sidewalk in the direction of the apartment, their laughter sounding out into the air behind them._

Troy shook his head to clear the memory of the dream that caused him to bolt upright in bed in the early hours of the morning. He quickly jumped in the shower, hoping the water would do its part to wake him up completely. While he let the water run down his body, he leaned his arm against the wall and rested his head against it, letting his mind take in the events of the past couple of days. One thing was clear to him- he loved Gabriella. He thought about the one golden nugget that he had on his side that Gabriella didn't know about. It was the one thing that he held tight to, waiting for the opportunity to present itself. Knowing that, a decision was made. This decision was probably the hardest he'd ever had to make, but Troy knew it was the best at this point in his relationship with Gabriella.

When he got out of the shower, he grabbed his phone and texted Chad before getting dressed.

_Dude, I don't have a good feeling about today._

He quickly put on his jeans and Polo shirt, stepping into his Sperry's, as he waited on a response from his friend. Finally, the text message tone on his phone sounded and he picked it up, seeing a response from Chad.

_**why? what's up?**_

Troy quickly typed out his response. _I just wish I was already back in Cali. there's too much at stake. _

_**give me about 10 min. i'll call you. getting in shower.**_

Troy continued getting ready. He knew the Berkeley boys had to check out in an hour and a half and he still had to get his stuff together and was hoping to catch a quick breakfast with Chad before the two had to say their goodbyes until Troy's graduation in a few weeks. It was only about twelve minutes later when his phone rang. The sounds of "Billionaire" by Travie McCoy filled the air, letting him know that it was Chad calling.

"S'up, Dude?" he answered his phone.

"_Meet me downstairs. Let's grab something to eat before we take off. Do you have time?"_

"Yeah, I've got time. I'll meet you down there in a few." Troy was already grabbing his key card and pushing his phone in his pocket. His roommate Nicholas sat up in bed, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Dude, where are you going?"

Troy grabbed a pair of boxers from Nicholas' duffel bag as he passed by and tossed them in his direction.

"Get in the shower, Man. I'm going to grab something to eat. We check out in an hour and fifteen minutes."

"Don't you need to shower?" Nicholas asked, the tiredness evident in his voice.

"Nick, get up, Man. You're almost as bad as Brie when she first wakes up."

"Hey! I've heard some of your stories about her in the mornings. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that's in insult and I'd be offended," Nicholas told him as he started moving a little bit more in his efforts to wake up.

Troy laughed at his team mate's joke. "I'll be back," he said as he walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

When Troy got downstairs to the lobby of the hotel, it didn't take him long to find Chad, already sitting at a table. Chad stood and greeted his friend with their sixteen year old handshake. The two made their way to the breakfast buffet the hotel had set up and fixed their plates. It wasn't until they sat back down at their table that the conversation started.

"So what's up?" Chad asked.

"You don't waste any time, do you?" Troy teased, trying to hide the dullness of his usually brilliant blue eyes.

"When we've only got a few minutes anyway, no. Now are you going to tell me why you don't have a good feeling about today?" he asked, throwing Troy's words from his earlier text back in his face.

"I had a dream last night," Troy started. He proceeded to tell Chad about the unpleasant dream he had. When he was finished, Chad let out a low whistle.

"So you think she may go through with this lunch after all?" he questioned.

"Well, after last night's conversation, I wouldn't be surprised. I mean, you pointed out that I basically pushed her into this guy's arms."

The two sat there in silence for a moment more, eating on their eggs, sausage, hash browns, and pancakes, Chad eyeballing his friend. He finally couldn't take it anymore and voiced his thoughts.

"What else?"

"What do you mean?" Troy said.

"You've got something else on your mind," Chad pointed out. "What is it?"

Troy took a deep breath in an effort to gather his thoughts before he spoke again. "I'm thinking that... Do you think maybe I should..." Troy released a deep sigh and decided to just let the words flow from his mouth. "What if I gave her time? Like a break from me... from us?"

Chad quirked one eyebrow, trying to decided if he heard Troy correctly or not. This was not the same Troy Bolton that he had grown up with!

"Time for what?" he asked, practically spitting his mouthful of eggs all over the table in his shock over Troy's statement.

"Time to figure out what it is she wants. I mean, if she's-"

"Stop right there!" Chad interrupted him, slamming his fist on the table a little harder than he meant to, causing some of his orange juice to spill over the lip of his glass. "I can't believe I'm hearing this! You're giving up!" Chad threw his hands in the air in disbelief.

"What do you mean? I'm not giving up. I'm just giving her time and space to-"

"To run straight to someone else's arms! I can tell you, Hoops, Gabster doesn't need to know that you're willing to give her time. If you do that, you're telling her that you give up and you're willing to let her go. No woman wants a man who lets her go. They want a man who's going to stand up and fight for her. What you need to do now is whatever it takes to let her know that you're not giving up on her and that you're going to fight for her!"

Troy chewed his food in silence, contemplating Chad's words. He had a point. In all the years that the boys had been friends, Troy was always the one who never gave up. Whenever a challenge was in front of him, he faced it head on. That was one of the things that made him such a great ball player- his 'never give up' attitude. He gave a slow nod before speaking once more.

"See, this is why I wish I was already back in California. At least then I'd be able to look at her- look her in the eyes- and _know_ what she's thinking. If she wants me to fight, I'll know it just be seeing her. Or I can tell if she really did want to go out with _Davis_."

"Dude, I can tell you what she's thinking: she's not. That's her problem. As smart as she is, she's all mixed up mentally right now. This is something the two of you need to work out together. And you know that regardless of what you two decide, I'm here for you, Bro. Always."

"I know. Hey, thanks for listening to me be all girly on you these past few days."

"Hey, we're brothers, Man. I know how much you love her and I know why you're waiting to propose. I think you're very smart for that, by the way. I also think that Gabriella's got a lot of people from the outside influencing her and the only thing that will help her right now is you."

Their conversation came to a halt when the alarm on Troy's phone went off.

"Crap. I've gotta go. The team's leaving in about twenty minutes and I still need to get my stuff. Thanks again for being there."

"You're welcome," Chad told him. The two stood from the table and shared their good-byes.

"Keep me updated on things, okay?" Chad asked.

"You know I will," Troy assured him before turning and walking off towards the elevator. As he walked away, Chad noticed the evident slump in his shoulders- a sure sign he was holding the weight of the world and was about to collapse underneath it.

**TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF**

Gabriella woke that morning with two thoughts running through her mind. The thought that Troy was coming home today was very slightly overshadowed by the phone call she made the previous night right before climbing into bed. She almost felt bad for her plans for that afternoon. Did this mean she was cheating on Troy? Was she just merely finding out who else was out there? Gabriella was happy where she was; she knew she was in this position with the man she loved for a reason. But Sharpay's voice kept running through her mind over and over again.

"_You've been TroyandGabriella since you were sixteen..."_

"_You've been known as 'Gabriella Montez, Troy Bolton's girlfriend' for years now! It's your turn to figure out who 'Gabriella Montez, fabulous budding attorney' is..."_

Like her drama queen friend advised her, she'd never know if she didn't at least try. So that's what she was going to do.

Releasing a huge sigh, Gabriella got out of bed and made her way into the bathroom and began her routine of getting ready for her day. She got her coffee together and left the apartment without so much as a glance in the direction of the spare room where she knew Taylor was. Her friend had confused her enough this week already; she didn't need her house guest to know her plans for today and risk making her emotions even more on edge than they already were.

A few hours later, when her last class of the day was over, she exited the lecture room and found Davis waiting for her across the hall leaning against the wall. The two greeted each other, exited the building, and walked towards the parking lot where the cars were parked. No matter how hard she tried, Gabriella found it very difficult to relax and enjoy herself without worrying about what this meant for her current relationship.

**TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF**

On the flight back to San Francisco, Troy tried hard to fall asleep and make the time go faster.

_Why is it so hard for me to be excited about going home? I just want to take her in my arms and put all this behind us. Why can she not love me like I love her? Am I not enough for her? Why did Taylor do this to Gabriella... to us? Her and her crazy ideas about relationships..._

He knew that regardless of what happened between him and Gabriella when he got back, Taylor would still be there. Those were the two best reasons he could think of to answer his first question. As much as he wanted to see and hold his girlfriend again, he knew their relationship had been a tense one these past few days and didn't know what he would be walking into. He also knew that Taylor was the only other person- other than Gabriella's mom- who knew his girlfriend the best. If he couldn't get some answers from his girlfriend, he certainly hoped Taylor would help, regardless of how upset he was with her right now at this moment in time.

The plane landed and the team rode the team bus back to Berkeley, where Troy took his bags and threw them in the bed of his truck. The ride back to the apartment in Hayward was the longest ride he had ever taken. As he pulled into the parking lot of the complex and parked in front of the building where he shared an apartment with Gabriella, he let out a sigh of relief when he spotted her car parked in its spot, right where it should be.

"Okay," he said out loud to no one in particular. "That's a good sign, right? Her car's here. That means she's home."

He cut the engine and climbed out. As he reached into the bed and grabbed the handle of his duffel bag, the sound of another car pulling up in the parking space a few spots down caught his attention. He looked in the direction of the red Toyota Camry and noticed two people sitting in the front seats. The girl in the passenger seat was laughing at an apparent joke that the driver just told. Troy just shook his head, remembering a time when he and Gabriella looked like that, and continued walking up the sidewalk.

He stopped in his tracks however when the sounds of the female's laughter rang through the air and met his ears. It was that sound that brought him back to his nightmare from the night before. It was a laughter that was all too familiar to him. A laughter that he's known for five years and could recognize from miles away. He dropped his duffel bag there on the sidewalk and closed his eyes, slowly turning around. When he opened his eyes, he found himself face to face with his girlfriend- with Davis standing right next to her with his hand resting on the small of her back. Dull, sorrowful blue eyes met shocked, horrified brown ones.

"Troy!" Gabriella gasped. "I wasn't expecting you for another twenty minutes or so!"

"Yeah, I can see that," Troy snapped, throwing a look in Davis' direction. He bent down and picked up his duffel bag, turned on his heels, and walked toward the steps that would lead him to the door of the apartment, leaving Gabriella and Davis standing in the breezeway staring after him.

Seeing her standing there with Davis, watching the apparent joy at being with him show on her face, the fact that she had gone out with him after she promised Troy that she would wait until he got home and they would talk about it... it all made what Chad said that morning null and void. Troy wanted to fight for her, but seeing her with this other guy- with _any_ other guy for that matter- made his heart break and sucked the fight right out of him.

"Troy, wait!" Gabriella called out after him. "Um, Davis, thanks for lunch. I'll talk to you later. I better..." She pointed in the direction of the steps, silently begging for Davis to understand.

"I get it. Go on. I had fun this afternoon. I'll call you later."

"I... No," Gabriella told him, shaking her head furiously to reiterate her point. "I don't think that's a good idea. I'll just- I'll see you in class." Gabriella turned and ran up the stairs, catching Troy just as he had his hand on the door knob. She reached her hand out and covered his, keeping him from opening the door. "Troy, talk to me. Please?" she begged.

He didn't turn to face her. He merely kept his gaze focused on the black door in front of him.

"You promised."

His words were simple. They weren't angry or hurt. In fact, he sounded almost emotionless. That was not lost on Gabriella as she stood there in silence. There was nothing she could say. He was right- she did promise.

"I-" she started, swallowing before continuing. "You're right. I'm sorry."

Troy noticed the emotion in her voice and took a deep breath. "Yeah." He opened the door and walked in, Gabriella right behind him.

"Troy?" She followed him into the bedroom and watched as he placed his duffel bag on the bed... the bed that the two of them had shared for six months now. Almost as if he felt the bed was now tainted, he picked his bag up and dropped it on the floor. Gabriella couldn't help but notice his actions and rolled her eyes. "What was that about?"

"What?"

"Was there something wrong with the bed?"

Troy shrugged and shook his head. "No. Nothing's wrong with the bed. It didn't lie to me."

"I didn't lie to you!" she cried out in frustration, begging him to listen to her.

"No. No, you're right. You didn't lie to me. You just broke a promise. How could I have been so stupid to confuse the two?" he asked with a sarcastic laugh.

Gabriella gave a soft sigh before giving in. "Okay. Point made. But Troy, it was was just lunch! Can we please talk about this later when Taylor's not here? I don't feel like getting into this in front of her."

Hearing her request, Troy gave her a pointed look and walked past her, brushing her shoulder with his as he past. Gabriella turned and left the room as well, following him into the kitchen. She watched as he opened the refrigerator and pulled out a beer and flinched when he slammed the refrigerator closed. Both were so involved in their silence- Troy sipping from his newly opened bottle and Gabriella standing with her arms wrapped around her middle as she watched- that neither noticed when Taylor emerged from the spare bedroom.

"Troy, hey. I didn't hear you come in," their apartment-guest said, breaking the tense silence.

"Yeah, well, I'm here," he told her as he walked past both girls and back into the bedroom, shutting the door behind him. Taylor cringed and Gabriella nearly cried when they both heard the turning of the lock from the other side of the door.

"Um, what was that all about?" Taylor asked. "Is he still upset at me?"

"No," Gabriella said softly. "It's me this time."

"What do you mean? Troy could never be upset at you. He treasures the ground you walk on."

"I went to lunch with Davis," Gabriella said softly, afraid that just saying it out loud- regardless of the volume of her voice- would perhaps set Troy even further off the deep end.

Taylor smiled widely at her friend's admission. It made the dark-skinned girl perk up, even despite the tension that was ever present between the two during the past few days. Regardless of all that, the two were still best friends; sisters even. "See, that wasn't so hard now, was it?"

"It was just lunch, Taylor."

"But it's a start." Taylor paused as she noticed the look on Gabriella's face and the sadness in her eyes. Her face softened as she spoke her next words. "Look, Gabriella, I know you love Troy and he loves you. But you just need to know that other guys _are_ interested. It'll make him appreciate you more."

"Maybe not so much anymore..." Gabriella said sadly as she looked at the closed bedroom door. Her breathing hitched as the realization that her relationship- her comfort, her whole world- was about to be completely turned upside down occurred to her for the umpteenth time. It was the one bit of her conscience that had been screaming at her since this whole fiasco began. And for some reason unknown to her, she was choosing to ignore it.

"Oh, Sweetie," Taylor started as she closed the distance between her and Gabriella and wrapped her arms around her friend in comfort. "I'm so sorry."

"You should be."

The two girls pulled apart at the sound of the third voice joining in the conversation and turned around to see that Troy had emerged from his room and was standing nearby.


	11. Shattered

I don't have much of an Author's Note this time, which is a good thing! I know it's been awhile since I posted a chapter. If you've seen the facebook page for Scenarios: Hawaii by adcgordon, then you saw a post from me explaining a little bit why it's taking me so long to get my chapters up and going. But at any rate, Merry Christmas and enjoy your new chapter present from South Carolina! May Christ bless you and your family in 2013!

**Chapter 11**

As the girls pulled apart from their hug, a knowing look was shared between them. Taylor- despite all that had gone on that week during her visit- looked remorseful over the knowledge that her best friend's world was more than likely about to be turned upside down. She knew deep down that despite the fact that she felt Gabriella needed to get out there, none of this tension between her best friend and her best friend's boyfriend would exist if Taylor had kept her big mouth shut.

_Chad tried to warn me,_ she thought to herself. _But nnnoooo... I had to go and tell Gabriella that I know what's best for her. Oh, boy..._

She watched as Gabriella slowly turned around and faced Troy. It was then that she also noticed the still-packed duffel bag sitting on the floor next to Troy's feet.

"I can't do this," he started to speak softly. "I can't stay here if you want something- some_one-_ different."

"Troy-" Gabriella whispered as she took a step closer to where he was leaning against the wall, her eyes growing wide with horror at the reality in front of her.

"No, Gabriella," he started, as he held a hand up to stop her from coming any closer. "Chad told me not to give you space. He told me that giving you space would only end up pushing you further away. I want to fight for you- for us- but I can't fight for something if you don't know for certain that it's what you want or not. I don't have it in me. It's not a fight that I can win."

Throughout his speech, Troy felt his throat tighten with emotion. When he looked up at Gabriella's face, he saw that she, too, was struggling with her emotions. Her eyes had welled with tears and she was fidgeting with her hands and biting at her lower lip as it trembled. He sneaked a glance at Taylor and saw her eyes wide with astonishment. Troy- the guy who had adored Gabriella since they first laid eyes on each other; the guy who threatened any person that dared hurt her in some form or fashion, willingly or unwillingly; the guy who swore to never hurt her; the guy whose every breath he took revolved around Gabriella- was on the verge of giving up? If she hadn't been standing right there watching with her own eyes, Taylor wouldn't have believed it.

Finally, after six days of staying with them and three of those days being filled with tension, Taylor finally did what she believed to be the right thing.

"Troy, wait!" she said. "Let me go and you stay. You two need to talk about this, try and work it out. I'll just go to a hotel."

Troy turned his steel gaze in her direction and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "I think that's a very good idea. Why _don't_ you leave," he demanded.

If you were to ask her later, after the fact, Taylor would tell you that she was uncertain if he would kick her out or not. Not that she blamed him, but she never once thought that Troy Bolton would have it in him.

She recalled a lesson from their fifth grade guidance counselor from many years ago. Ms. Grayson had told the class a story about a homeless man who needed a place to stay and even went walking through the streets of a residential, suburban neighborhood hoping that someone would notice him and take pity on him, offering him as much as merely a couch and blanket for the night. When she finished her story, Troy spoke up that if he ever came across someone that needed a place to stay, he wouldn't think twice. "It's just the right thing to do" he announced to the class.

At the present moment in time, when he told Taylor to leave, those few moments from their past traveled through her mind and instantly she felt her heart drop. She never thought she would hear those words escape his lips. She gave a quick look in Gabriella's direction waiting on her to speak up and argue Troy's suggestion. When Taylor saw her eyes studying the linoleum of the kitchen floor, unable to look in Taylor's direction, she had her answer. She knew then that she had outworn her welcome.

Taylor swallowed the unexpected lump in her throat and nodded. "Okay," she whispered. "Excuse me."

She walked across the room in the direction of Gabriella's bedroom where she had been staying, brushing against Troy's arm as she passed. When the door was closed behind her, Gabriella then lifted her eyes to look at Troy. His heart broke to see the tear tracks on her face, but he knew that he had to separate himself from her... at least for a little while. He swallowed and took another deep breath in order to keep his composure.

"So if Taylor's leaving, that means you're staying?" Gabriella softly asked.

"No," he told her. "Something tells me that we both need space right now."

Gabriella vehemently shook her head in disagreement. "No, Troy, I don't need-"

"_Yes_, you do, Gabriella," Troy argued, practically yelling in his frustration. "Damn it, you do. If you're going out with other guys, then that tells me that you're confused about us and you need space to figure it all out. I can't be here while you're doing that. I can't sit here and pretend to be happy while you're trying to figure out your future and whether I- whether _we-_ fit into it!"

Instead of arguing- she knew deep down that he was right: if he stayed, it wouldn't help her thoughts and feelings at all- she gave a small nod and accepted what he told her. "Where are you going?" she whispered.

"I don't know yet," he told her honestly. "But don't call me. I'll let you know." Again, she nodded, hesitantly this time. Troy bent over and picked up his duffel bag, placing the shoulder strap up on his shoulder. He walked over to Gabriella and gently placed his finger under her chin and lifted so she was looking at him. It pained him to look in her deep brown eyes and see the hurt and confusion there. He eyes shifted between hers as she blinked back more tears. "I love you, Gabriella Montez. I don't know what happened to cause you to doubt us, but you need to know- while you're trying to figure everything out- that I love you." He leaned down and placed a gentle kiss to her forehead and slowly backed away from her, moving toward the door.

Gabriella closed her eyes and waited for the dreaded sound of the door closing before she opened them again, hoping that the door closing was Taylor leaving and that Troy absence was a cruel joke. When she opened her eyes and looked around, she was standing in the living room alone and the door to her bedroom- Taylor's bedroom for the past week- was still closed. In the sad silence, she heard Taylor talking into the phone, either to Chad, or to a hotel making a reservation.

She reached up to wipe the tears that had fallen from her eyes as she whispered into the quietness of the room.

"I love you, too."

Gabriella wrapped her arms around herself and looked around the room. She spotted the picture of the two of them during their most recent annual New Year's Eve trip to Colorado with their parents. It was the same ski resort where they had met five years prior. The two families celebrated Christmas individually- Gabriella and Maria in Texas with Maria's family and the family from her Dad's side while Troy and his parents alternated between Arizona and Missouri every other year to visit their extended family- then reconvened for the week to share a cabin in the mountains of Vail, Colorado, to ring in the New Year together. This particular picture was taken at 12:01 a.m. after the traditional New Year's kiss with the fireworks going off in the background. Right next to it was a framed picture of Jack and Troy each giving Maria a kiss on either cheek from the year before. Those two pictures were two of Gabriella's favorites.

Sniffling once more, Gabriella then walked across the room and picked up the picture of her and Troy and walked into their- _his_- bedroom, shutting the door behind her. About twenty minutes later, Gabriella finally emerged from the bedroom with her own duffel bag and the picture in her hand. As she was making her way to the door of the apartment, she spotted a piece of paper sitting on the bar that wasn't there before. She walked over to the counter top and picked up the note, immediately recognizing Taylor's handwriting.

_Dear Gabriella and Troy,_

_I realize that neither of you probably want to hear- well, rather read- this right now, but I just have to get it off my chest. If I could just have three minutes, please, and then you can throw this away, delete my number from your phones, or whatever else will make you feel like I'm out of your lives._

_First of all, thank you. Thank you for being a friend to me for the past several years. Troy, you and I have pretty much grown up together and know almost everything about each other. You know that I have a hard time with thinking before speaking and I always have. Gabriella, as soon as you came to East High, we clicked. You and I had this spark, and that spark has only gotten brighter as the years went on. You've always been the sister I never had. (I know, I know... I've already got an older sister, but really? Do I have anything in common with her? She and I only get along because we __**have**__ to, not like you and I who got along because we __**wanted**__ to.) _

_My point in saying this is that you two are very special to me. Next to Chad, you two are my best friends. I know now that what I did was wrong, but please understand that at the time, I sincerely felt like it was the right thing. I truly did only have your best interests at heart. I'm sorry for messing with what was obviously a very rare occurrence: true love, lasting love, a love that can overcome anything. If that's what you truly have, then what I've caused is just a bump in the road for you two... one that can be overcome._

_I hope that, one day, you two can find it in your hearts to forgive me... after you've found your way back to each other, of course._

_I love you both, regardless of what you may think of me right now._

_Love, _

_Taylor_

As Gabriella finished reading the note, she released a torturous sigh, set it back on the counter for Troy to see, picked up the picture and her own duffel bag and walked out the door, locking it behind her.

**TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF**

Gabriella knew her mom wasn't going to be home- she would return from her quarterly trip to her company's home office in Cincinnati, Ohio, the next day. That was okay with Gabriella; she didn't really want to talk anyway. She knew that she'd have to explain everything when her mom returned and Troy didn't show up for their weekly dinner at Maria's house. But for right now, she just couldn't stay in their apartment alone. She had to get out of there... so she decided to take the scenic route to her Mom's house and use the extra thirty minutes to think and try to sort things out in her mind.

When Gabriella reached Maria's, she let herself in using her key and walked through the foyer and into the living room. She smiled at the fact that even when her mom was gone, the house was still immaculate. _So this is where I get it from_, she thought to herself. Gabriella walked through the downstairs taking care of chores here and there- watering the plants, giving a quick dusting with the dust rag, sorting the junk mail from the important mail- before sitting down on the couch and turning on the television set. Finally settling on "Sleepless in Seattle", she lay down on the couch and allowed herself to get lost in the movie.

Before she knew it, she felt someone's fingers brushing through her hair and brushing against her cheeks, drying the wetness of the tears that had released from her eyes during her nap time dream.

"Troy?" she asked, sitting up in a hurry, startling the person who was sitting on the couch next to her. She looked to her left and spotted her mom sitting next to her. "Mom?"

"Hi, Mija," Maria greeted her daughter with a smile.

"What are you doing here? I thought you weren't getting back until tomorrow," Gabriella asked through her tears, her voice cracking slightly.

"Well, then I'll just go back to Ohio and come back tomorrow," Maria teased Gabriella as she moved to stand from the couch.

"No!" Gabriella shrieked as she pulled her mom back down on the couch, wrapping her arms around her waist to keep her in place. "Don't leave me, Mom." Maria noticed her daughter's sniffles start again and rubbed a hand through her hair and down her back.

"Honey, I usually try not to interfere, but you're really worked up and upset about something. What happened?"

"I messed up, Mom," Gabriella mumbled, and her mother could only imagine the face of a little girl who was practically embarrassed about whatever mistake she had made.

Maria had a hard time understanding her daughter's words, as she had her head buried in

Maria's chest and her words were muffled, but her Mama's Instinct kicked in. With her only daughter's tears that she witnessed during the last ten minutes of her nap and noticing how she clutched a picture tightly to her chest- as if letting it go would cause it to shatter- and her slight, tearful outburst of her boyfriend's name, Maria knew that something had happened and that concerned her.

"Sweetie, everyone messes up every now and again. It can't be that bad." When she was met with only the sound of sniffling, Maria's concern for her only daughter and the young man that she had grown to love as if he was her own son grew and she began to rock her daughter back and forth in her arms, just like she used to do when Gabriella was a young girl. "Gabriella? Mija? What's going on?"

Gabriella took comfort in the loving, rocking motions of her mother and let the tears fall all over again. Maria's instincts told her that Gabriella just needed Mom Time and held onto her still, letting her daughter's tears fall.

"I just... I'm sorry, Troy..." Gabriella cried against her mother's neck and gripped her tighter.

"We can talk later," Maria whispered in her daughter's ears as she pressed kisses to her hairline. "You just take all the time you need. There's no rush."

**TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF**

Maria's brownies were always a favorite "cheer-me-up" snack of Gabriella's, so when her baby girl came home in tears over something her lunkhead basketball boyfriend did, Maria was quick to provide. Gabriella still hadn't told her anything and she wasn't about to pry. She knew the truth would come out in due time. The little bit of information that she was able to get from Gabriella was that she "messed up" and that she "just had to know".

The two Montez women decided on dinner out- a tradition of theirs whenever Maria came back from a business trip- and Maria noticed that when Gabriella's phone beeped with an incoming text message, her daughter was quick to pull it out with hope shining in her eyes. That hope faded, however, as she read the text. That was the last straw for Maria and she decided that it was finally time to pry into her daughter's life.

"Okay, Gabi," Maria stated, crossing her arms in a motherly fashion. "I promised myself that I wasn't going to do this, but it's time."

"Time for what?" Gabriella questioned, her eyebrows creasing in confusion.

"Time for me to pry," her mom answered matter of fact. "What happened that has you this worked up and upset? What did Troy do?"

Gabriella paused before finally cracking and admitting her fault to her mother. "It wasn't Troy," she softly said. When Maria's eyebrows raised in question, Gabriella rolled her eyes and continued. "This time, it was me. Well, actually, more of Taylor's doing, but I listened to her and the outcome is my fault."

As Gabriella began her story, Maria couldn't help but watch as her daughter's heart broke all over again. She reached across the table and grabbed Gabriella's hand as she told the story, bringing it to the minutes prior, when Gabriella received the text message.

"And that text was from Troy, wasn't it?" she asked, nodding in the direction of Gabriella's cell phone that was sitting on the table.

Gabriella nodded and opened the recent message for her mom to read. Maria took the phone and held it closer to her face so she could read it.

_Staying with Andy and Matt. Sleeping on their couch. May be back at the apartment tomorrow, but not sure yet. I'll let you know._

"Well, at least he kept his promise and let you know where he is," Maria pointed out. "He didn't just fall off the Golden Gate Bridge for you to never hear from him again. That's something, right?"

"But Mom, I'm so confused. I just don't know."

"What don't you know?"

Gabriella thought about her words and how she wanted to express her feelings. She didn't exactly have them sorted out in her mind, so how was she going to verbalize them?

"Mom, have you ever been faced with a decision and knew what you _wanted_ to do, but were afraid that it would end up being the wrong choice in the end?"

"I have," Maria said with a nod. "But Honey, life is full of tough choices. And you're always going be scared of making the wrong choice. But you know what?" She waited until she was looking in the brown eyes of her daughter before she continued. "You've heard me tell you over and over again that the Lord won't give us anything that we can't handle, right?" She watched as Gabriella nodded. "Honey, love and your future life are hard decisions- especially when you're whole life has revolved around Troy for so long- but it's one that eventually every woman has to make. 'Is this guy the one that God has in store for me, or is His partner for my life still out there?' Mija, this may not be what you wanted to hear from me right now- and believe me, I never thought I'd hear myself say these words- but I think, maybe, Sharpay had a point." Gabriella widened her eyes in surprise and gave a little smirk in her mom's direction.

Maria raised her hands in defense. "I know. Mark this day on the calendar! But don't tell Sharpay that I said that. If it's brought up in the future, I'll deny it," she said, pointing a finger in her daughter's direction.

"So you think I _should_ take some time away from Troy?"

Maria looked directly at her daughter and pressed her lips together. She drew in a deep breath as she thought about Gabriella's question. "I can't tell you what to do, Baby. But I can tell you that regardless of what you decide, I'm always going to be right here for you. Do I think you should stay with Troy? I won't lie, I adore Troy. You know that. Do I think you should take some time to just be you, just so you're sure? It won't hurt. If anything, I think that in the long run, Troy will respect you more for it."

Gabriella licked her drying lips and swallowed the lump that was- again- forming in her throat. "It scares me to hear you say that. But thanks, Mom, for being honest with me."

"You're welcome, Honey. I know this is hard, but just know that I love you very much."

"I love you, too." Gabriella reached across the table to take her mother's hand, knowing the words had been hard for her mother to communicate, and knowing that her mother's love for Troy had grown to be practically blood-deep.

The two ladies continued their dinner, but one thought ran through Maria's mind the entire

time... _As often as I swore I wouldn't do this, I think it's time for me to interfere. I think it's time for a coffee date with a certain young man._

**TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF**

There's something about sleeping in your own bed in your parents' home. Gabriella always found it comforting. The next morning, when she awoke in the four poster queen sized bed she'd had since she was fourteen, she felt oddly rejuvenated. She stretched under the covers and took in a deep breath, inhaling the fragrance of the lilac blossom wallflower from Bath & Body Works that rested in the plug in the corner of the bedroom by the door. She sat up along the side of the bed and stretched- letting out a huge yawn in the process- and slipped her feet in her slippers and made her way downstairs, following the smell of her mom's omelets that she loved.

"Good morning, Sweetie," Maria greeted her as she walked into the kitchen, chuckling softly at her daughter's groan in greeting. "No classes today, right?" she clarified, watching as her daughter shuffled to the coffee pot.

"No, Ma'am," she told Maria as she added sugar to her coffee cup. The two ladies stood in silence, Maria putting the finishing touches on the omelets in the pan while Gabriella sipped on her coffee. Maria decided to try and bring up the topic of her daughter's best friend, not sure what the outcome would be but willing to try anyway.

"So Taylor left?"

"Her flight leaves this afternoon," Gabriella said flatly. That made it obvious to Maria that Gabriella wasn't in the mood to talk about Taylor, so Maria dropped the topic.

Maria watched as Gabriella sat down at the table then picked up two plates, walking in the same direction. Gabriella waited until there was a plate in front of her and Maria had sat down across from her before making her announcement.

"I think I've decided something."

Maria watched the young lady- who looked so much like her late husband- patiently as she waited for her to continue, knowing that she didn't need any prompting; she would continue on her own.

"As much as it hurts my heart to admit this, I think taking some time is probably what I need right now. I do love Troy. I know that without a doubt. But I just keep thinking 'what if', you know? I can't do anything further in our relationship until I know for certain that there is no more 'what if' in my mind. Does that make sense?" Gabriella turned pleading eyes to her mother, begging her to understand.

"It does. And I think you're making a very grown up decision. I know this is hard for you, but I'm very proud of you." Maria looked at her daughter's eyes, still seeing the pain and confusion that were in her heart.

"But Mom? What if-" Gabriella paused as her voice cracked and swallowed. "What if he doesn't understand and hates me? What if he walks out of my life forever and I lose any chance I may have?"

Maria stood from her seat and moved to the seat next to her daughter, taking her in her arms and held her in much the same way that she used to when Gabriella was ten and had nightmares after her father's death. The ladies sat that way for several more minutes until Gabriella's cell phone sounded with an incoming text message. Maria stood and retrieved the device from Gabriella's purse which sat on the counter, handing it to Gabriella so she could read the message. Gabriella released a heavy sigh as she turned the phone so Maria could see it, too.

_Coming back to the apartment today. Please be there. We need to talk._

**TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF**

After saying goodbye to Maria, Gabriella made her way back across town to the apartment that she shared with Troy. When she pulled up to the security gate, she punched in the code and waited for the gate to open. After she parked the car, she took a deep breath to ease her nerves and took her bag in her hand, making her way up the steps to the door. As she unlocked the door, she opened it slowly, uncertain as to what sight would greet her. When she spotted Troy standing in the kitchen with a glass of juice in his hand, she let out a sigh of relief.

_At least it's just juice,_ she thought to herself. He heard the door close and turned to face her, seeing the duffel bag in her hands.

"Maria's?" he asked, clarifying where she stayed last night.

"I couldn't stay here alone. Not after..." Her voice trailed off as she started referencing what took place between the two of them.

"I know," he told her. "I had the feeling that you wouldn't be here."

"Troy-" she started, only to be interrupted by him holding up a hand.

"Brie, let's sit." She nodded and followed him to the couch, the two sitting side by side. Once they were comfortable, he started talking first. "Brie, what's going on here? I thought things were great between us. But ever since Taylor got here... I don't get it. I almost with I'd never left. This," he paused, touching her arm gently, "I feel like I don't know you." He placed his hand on her cheek, gently turning her face so he could look her in her eyes. "Baby, I feel like I'm losing you and I don't know what to do to stop it."

"Troy, it's not you." She shook her head against his hand while her face stretched into a sad expression.

He dropped his hand immediately, shaking his head while his eyebrows creased almost angrily. "Great! Now I'm getting the 'it's not you, it's me' speech."

Gabriella's eyes widened as she realized that he misunderstood what she had said. "No! No no no no no no! No! Troy, that's not what I meant." She took his hands in hers, begging him to listen. "I mean, it is, but it's not. Does that make sense?"

"Not really," he said with a gruff sigh.

She squeezed his hands when he tried to pull away. "Let me try again? Please?" She waited for Troy to nod before beginning again softly. "Troy, someone said something the other day that got me thinking. They pointed out that you and I have been together since we were sixteen."

He shrugged as if to say _'so what?' _,but stayed quiet to let her continue.

Gabriella did her best to look directly into his eyes to show him her true feelings as she spoke. "I've loved every second of being with you. But now I need time for me to find me."

His whole body tensed with panic as he leaned back against the cushions and tilted his head before speaking with a cracking voice. "What do you mean?"

"You're gonna think this sounds stupid, but I don't know who _I_ am; I don't have an identity of my own. I get introduced to your friends as 'my girlfriend Gabriella' or to friends of your parents as 'our son's girlfriend'. Your friends from Berkeley know me as 'Gabriella, Troy Bolton's girlfriend'. That's all I've been since you and I became _TroyAndGabriella_. I can't... I haven't been just _Gabriella Montez_ since before I came to East High. I remember telling you, up on the rooftop during my first week there, that I didn't wanna be 'the freaky math girl'. And because of you, I wasn't. Because of you I got to go back to kindergarten and be whoever I wanted to be. You've given me a totally different identity and I love that. I love who you've made me. I love who I am with you. _I love you_…so much. But I need some time to be just _me_ for a while."

Troy sat for a minute in silence, staring at the girl in front of him. Half of his heart was breaking at the thought of letting her go; but the other half understood everything she was saying to him.

He took a minute to think back on the last few years and realized that she was right. She had never been Gabriella Montez without the 'girlfriend' label. He always encouraged her to think for herself, that her life was hers and to do whatever it took for her dreams to come true. He was her biggest fan. And for that reason that he knew- deep down, as much as he hated to admit it- that she was right. If his dreams for their future were to come true, he had to allow her to go through this. He didn't want to think about how long it would take her to go through what he hoped was just a phase, but hoped it wouldn't take long.

Finally he forced sound to come from his mouth as he spoke through the tightness in his throat. "Are you-" he paused to clear his throat. "Are you breaking up with me? I mean, what you've said makes sense and I can't argue with it, but is this it... for us?"

"I don't... I don't want it to be," she admitted through her own tears, begging him to understand. "I just want some time, Troy."

"But you've got questions?" He raised his head and watched as she slowly nodded, and the tears she had been trying to hold in finally fell from her eyes.

"I can't even tell you what they are. I'm just … our fut_- the _future seems so confusing right now… the LSAT's and graduation, law school, the Bar Exam in a few years, finding real jobs… It's just really scary and confusing. I- I need to try and clear some of it up."

As much as Troy wanted to pull her to him and hold her and tell her that they needed to clear things up, _together, _he couldn't convince his body to move. He just listened quietly. After a moment he found the strength to reach a hand up and carefully wipe the tears away.

"I get it," he told her softly. He reached a hand behind her head and pulled her face towards him, placing a soft kiss to her forehead as the sobs took over her body. He wanted to argue, to tell her that she was being crazy, that what she was saying was nonsense... but he knew that would be selfish. Now wasn't a time to be selfish. Now was the time for him to show her he supported her, no matter how hard it was for him.

Troy swallowed his own emotions, closed his eyes, and gave in as he wrapped her in his arms and held her as she cried, whispering in her ear over and over 'It's okay' and 'This'll all work out'. The words were meant more to make himself feel better about their current situation.

Suddenly a thought occurred to him. He didn't want to bring it up now, but he knew he needed to. He slowly pulled back and forced her to look at him, knowing that she was paying attention.

"Baby-" he said, stopping himself. "Sorry, I've got to, um..." He paused to clear his voice. "_Gabriella,_" he started again, using her name this time, "what about," he pointed around the apartment, "our…living arrangements?"

"What about our...?" Her voice trailed off as she turned her reddened eyes in his direction and then clouded over again, "You mean... do you want… I should… I should move out, shouldn't I?" She scooted away from Troy as he gently shook his head.

"I don't want that. I mean, I guess it's up to you." He let out a breath, rubbing the back of his neck in frustration. "Are... are you... I mean, will you..." He paused in his thought, letting out a sigh. "Damn it! I don't exactly know how to say this."

"Am I staying or leaving?" she suggested and watched as he nodded.

"Yeah, I guess that's where I was going with that thought."

"I-" she started, with a touch of fear at the thought of truly being without Troy, completely. "If it's alright with you, I'd like to stay here. I'll move back into the other bedroom." She started, watching his face for his reaction. When he gave none, she continued. "I mean, we came into this whole living together thing as a team and fixed our own individual budgets every month for rent and bills and stuff. I can't leave you with all this extra stuff to pay. I won't do that; it wouldn't be fair. I'm going to see it through, if that's okay."

Gabriella watched as he nodded slowly. "Okay," he whispered.

"Wildca- Troy?" she called to get his attention, waiting on him to look at her again. The look in his eyes broke her heart, but she knew in her mind that she was doing the right thing. She just wished that someone would explain it to her breaking heart. "Say something. Please?"

Troy swallowed as he looked at her. "Gabriella, I love you. I have every day- every second- for the past five years. I don't know what being without you is like. But if this is what you need right now, then fine. I'll um... I'll give you the time you need."

"I'm sorry," she whispered in a shaky voice as the tears in her eyes started to flow over yet again.

"So am I. Just know that I'll be here when um... when you figure everything out." He leaned over and pressed his lips to hers in a simple kiss, trying to put all his thoughts and feelings and emotions in that one kiss for those few seconds, wondering how long it would be before he was fortunate to feel her lips on his again. Or if he ever would.

When he felt her bring a hand up to his face to hold him him in place, Troy forced himself to pull back, released her hands from his, and stood from his spot on the couch. She watched him walk into the bedroom that they had shared for the past five months. Without looking back, he shut and locked the door behind him.

Gabriella wondered again if she was making the right decision. She swallowed roughly to try and relieve the practically permanent, throat-closing feeling. Then for the first time, she leaned over on the seat where Troy had just been sitting, and let her tears continue to fall - alone.


	12. Aftermath

**First of all, thank you all so much for sticking with me. I'm slowly making progress on the writing and hopefully it won't take much longer before I'm finished writing and can increase the speed of my updates. Secondly, I'm going to be taking down "Bottled Kisses" soon for various reasons. So if you read it and enjoyed it and want to read it again, I'd do so quickly. Finally, I haven't mentioned this lately, but I don't own anything in this story except for the storyline. Read and enjoy! Oh, and please review. ;-)**

**Chapter 12**

Not at all. Tossed and turned. Fitful.

If you were to ask Troy and Gabriella individually how they slept, those are the words and phrases they each would use. The most they had slept apart since they started the physical side of their relationship were the nights he had away games- twenty total... until last night.

Gabriella finally found herself drifting off to dreamland around 4:30 a.m. and was not too happy when her alarm sounded at 7:30 that morning. She woke and turned to face the window and wasn't surprised at what she saw.

_A dreary day to match a dreary mood_, she thought to herself as she took notice of the gray clouds in the sky. _Perfect_.

She stretched and gave a massive yawn as she stood from the confines of her bed. The stretch was just as massive and knocked her back down on her bed and she let out a moan, her body's way of protesting having to be awake at such an ungodly hour on a Saturday. The first Saturday of her Spring Break of her final year of college to be more exact.

"Why did they pick this day? More specifically, this time?" she muttered to herself in disgust.

She found her slippers and emerged from her bedroom, going into autopilot mode as she moved in the direction of her beloved coffee pot while her eyes were still half closed. She let out another yawn and blindly found the handle of the carafe that contained her life source. It wasn't until she held the pot in her hands that she noticed the full cup sitting on the counter, mocking her.

"When did Troy start drinking coffee?" she asked herself out loud.

"I didn't. That's yours." The sound of the voice behind her startled her and she jumped, bringing a hand to cover her heart as she turned and found Troy standing in front of the stove, some bacon sizzling away in the frying pan.

"Geez! Troy, don't do that! I didn't know you were there," she told him. The exhaustion in her voice was very evident to him and he couldn't fight the concern that he felt welling inside him. He continued with his present task at hand of preparing breakfast and managed to contain said concern, however, when the voices in his head spoke up.

"_She dumped you, Man. She doesn't care anymore. Let it go."_

"_No, she does still care. She's confused; that's why she did what she did."_

"_Quit making excuses. And by the way, you doing these random acts of kindness for her will not help her if she's as confused as you claim she is."_

Troy sighed as he tried to push the back and forth argument from his mind.

"Thank you for getting my coffee for me," she told him softly.

"Old habits die hard."

Gabriella noticed the one line, monotone answers he was giving her. She knew that he only got in that mode when he was frustrated or upset about something. She also knew that the best way to deal with him when he got that way was just to let it go and let him work out whatever was going on in his mind. Only this time, she knew that she was the reason for his feelings right now and there was nothing she could do about it. Not yet, anyway.

"Why are you up so early on a Saturday?" she asked him.

"Gym."

_Okay, I know he's upset, but what's with the freeze out? _she thought to herself. _This isn't like him._

"You?" He turned the question right back at her.

"What?" _Oh, my gosh. Is he actually voluntarily talking to me? _she wondered sarcastically.

"Why are you up so early?"

"Oh. My um..." She paused and swallowed, sobering quickly from her sarcasm, knowing that her answer would more than likely hit a nerve with him. "My study group is getting together," she rushed through her answer as she took another sip of her coffee and lifted herself so she was sitting on the counter. Troy's quick heavy sigh didn't go unnoticed by her, and as uncomfortable as the pause that followed was, it was expected.

"Did Taylor make it back to Connecticut okay?" he flatly asked out of the blue.

She looked at him carefully, trying to read his expression. Did he read the note? Was he trying to come around to the idea of forgiving Taylor like she was? Was he still indescribably angry at their longtime friend? Gabriella gave up trying to crack open his mind. She had tried it many times in the past and knew that it was a moot point.

"I don't know," she told him.

"You didn't follow up?" he asked her, his eyebrows creasing in confusion.

She shrugged, not finding anything odd about her response. "If something had happened, we would have heard."

"And you're her best friend?" Troy mumbled as he rolled his eyes to himself. Troy kept his focus on the bacon in front of him while Gabriella swung her legs back and forth. She looked at her feet and sighed. There was another uncomfortable pause between the two lovers.

"Have you talked to Chad?" she asked.

His grunt and a mumbled "Tried calling me last night. I didn't feel like talking," was her answer.

"She should be thrilled," Troy continued. Gabriella turned her focus from her feet to his back- and fought hard to keep her hormones in check as she watched the muscles rippling under his black wife beater as he continued to cook their breakfast.

"What do you mean?" she asked in a small voice, almost afraid of his answer.

"Well, she finally convinced you to date other guys. She probably went back and had a party in your honor." She noticed that he didn't even try to hide his sarcasm or his anger.

"Troy, that's not fair. Did you even read the note she left?" She swallowed hard to try and hide her own anger. But who was she really angry at? Taylor for stirring the pot and starting this whole mess; Troy for his uncaring, unsupportive attitude; or herself for being stupid and letting him go?

_You weren't being stupid, Gabriella. You've got to do this for yourself. _That was becoming her mantra that she repeated over and over in her mind. It was the only way she was going to get through this period.

"'Not fair'?" he practically shouted. "I'm sorry, did you say that's 'not fair'? You wanna talk 'not fair'? Try this on for size, Gabriella. I make love to the woman that _I'm_ _sure_ I want to spend the rest of _my_ life with and then have to leave her for a week. Then, when I get back, I don't even know if I'm allowed to _touch_ that woman because all of a sudden _she_ wants to see other men. And I don't know what the _HELL_" he slammed his fist on the counter to prove his point on this word "I've done to deserve that. I haven't even been here to defend myself for whatever I've apparently done. _That's_ what I call _'not fair'_, Gabriella."

Four times he threw her phrase back at her, and he used air quotes every time. She knew he only did that when he was upset. She lowered her eyes back to her feet and chewed on the inside of her lip while he turned his back on her to face the stove again.

"Would you at least do me one favor?" The sound of his voice reaching out to her again brought her back to the kitchen and the tension that was staring her in the face.

"What's that?" she quietly asked.

"If you decide that you want to sleep with one or more of these upcoming '_dates_'-"

_Him and those damn air quotes again_... she thought to herself.

"-would you at least text me and let me know? Or even hang one of my ties on the door knob? Because I really don't want to come back in here and witness it, because I for one know how much you prefer the couch over the bed- although, I don't know, the bed does give you more room for all the times you tend to roll over, trying to be on top. And I sure as hell don't want to be in _my_ bedroom and then _hear_ all your moans of pleasure when you're being touched, because I know how much you like that."

Throughout his speech, Gabriella lifted her eyes from her feet to stare at his back in shock, shooting daggers in his direction. When did he become so hateful and vindictive? The things he was saying to her... She couldn't speak. She was hurt and outraged... furious, even.

_How __**DARE**__ he?!_

Her thoughts were disrupted when he pushed the skillet off the burner. She watched as a few drops of hot grease splashed from the pan onto the back splash and the stove top before he shook his head and turned off the burner. He turned and started to walk from the kitchen, unable to be in the same room as her any longer than he needed to be. She reached out and grabbed his arm as he passed by- hard enough that he grimaced at the pain he felt as her nails dug into the exposed flesh of his arm- and felt her jerk him back so he came to a stop in front of her. He noticed that she didn't get off the counter, which terrified him somewhat.

He had never seen her this angry, but with her sitting on the counter, she was eye to eye with him and he could nearly feel the fury as her eyes turned from their usual soft coffee color to an unusual coal-black. He also couldn't help but feel her shaking. That was his sign that he had gone too far. The only thing he could do was contort his face in disgust and shake his head more to let her know the thought of her being intimate with another man made him sick. He realized quickly that his sick feeling didn't matter right now. He had pushed her over the edge and could do nothing to pull her out of her rage. He tried once to pull his arm free from her death grip as he stepped past her to escape, but Gabriella wouldn't let go.

"Troy Alexander Bolton," she started through gritted teeth. "You _asshole_! I don't believe you!Don't you _ever_ talk to me like that." He lowered his eyes to the ground, trying to hide the pain in his right bicep where her short nails were digging into his skin, but she managed to bring his attention back to her face as she gripped his arm tighter. "I get it, okay? I get that you don't like this idea. Believe me, _I get it_. You have _no clue_ how confused I am right now. I know you're mad. But you have no right- _no right-" _she used the index finger of her free hand to poke him in his chest to make her point- "to criticize me for wanting to make sure I'm certain about my future. I'm not going to sleep with..." Gabriella paused and took several deep breaths to calm herself before continuing, with her voice softer as she touched on a very sensitive subject for the two of them. "That's the farthest thing from my mind, Troy. That has nothing to do with... with this. You know how I feel about... that area of a relationship." Her voice softened as the topic of conversation turned intimate. "You are the only person that knows about that."

She released his arm with a slight push and watched as he struggled with not knowing whether he should cross his arms in frustration or rub his forearm in pain. Troy finally settled on the macho approach and crossed his arms across his chest. As much as it hurt, he cherished the hold she just had on him and his arm felt cold as soon as she released it.

"I'm sorry," he said softly. "I crossed a line. I shouldn't have said what I did. I'm just really confused right now, too, and I don't think there's anyone - except you - who can help me understand. And right now, I can't even ask for your help on this subject. I'm kind of alone here on this one."

Gabriella took a deep breath and licked her lips as she thought of what to say next. "Troy, I want you to understand. I want to _help_ you understand. I just... I'm not even sure if _I_ understand." She slid off the counter top and leaned against the refrigerator, with her own arms crossed in front of her, matching his stance. "Do you remember when I first came to East High? I had only been there a couple of days and you showed me your secret place, up on the roof? We talked about being in kindergarten and being anyone we wanted to be... finding best friends because there was nothing standing in our way. Do you remember that?"

"Like it was yesterday." Troy nodded his head and smiled as he remembered that exact day. "You were wearing jeans, a white lacy cami type something top, and a blue sweater."

"That you remember, but our Arnold and Minnie costumes you forget?" she asked him incredulously.

"Well, I tried to forget those!" he retorted, thinking back to their joint stage debut in _Twinkle Towne _during their junior year of high school.

"But we have posters and videos and pictures all over the apartment of that night!"

"Your point is...?" he urged her to continue- a sign that he wanted to drop the new topic.

"My point is..." she raised her voice slightly, before lowering it again and moving back to the original topic, "that you gave me kindergarten all over again, Troy. Up on that roof, with you... You gave me the chance to be anyone I wanted to be, to do anything I wanted to do. And look how far it's brought us!" Gabriella found herself giving a soft laugh through the tears that she was trying to hold back.

"So what are you saying?" he asked her. "Why are we talking about high school, and kindergarten?"

"Because I need you to let me go back to kindergarten again, Troy. I was almost there when I got accepted to Stanford. That time I didn't want to go back and it scared me to death. Then you were right there with me when I needed you. What I need from you now is for you to let me be that kindergartner again, and let me figure things out, on my own." She paused to sniffle as the tears started to fall against her better judgment. "I know-" she paused to swallow. "I know you've encouraged me and you've supported me and you've let me make my own decisions. And I'm so grateful to you for that. But I've also always had you and Mom, and even Lucille and Coach. They were my decisions ultimately, yes, but I always made them with your input. Now, for a little while, I just really need to make some of my own decisions. And if I fall on my face I need to figure out how to pick myself back up."

Troy was listening to the words she was saying in disbelief and shook his head. "Why? We're all right here! We all want to support you and we love you. We're here to help keep you on your feet so you don't _have_ to fall on your face."

He watched as she stood before him- tears streaming and hands wringing nervously- and his heart went out to her. "I know. But I just... I need you to let me do this. I've at least got to try. I need to prove it to myself, I guess."

"I don't have a choice, do I?"

"Not this time," she whispered, while shaking her head.

"And you still want to share this apartment while you're trying this... find yourself whatever? Because honestly, Gabriella, I'm not sure I can do that. You know what? You stay here and I'll go bunk with Andy and Matt for a while. I'll still help pay the bills here, but I just, seriously, I don't think I can-"

"Troy, please?" she rushed to interrupt him. "Please don't do that. We can make this work. I swear to you."

Troy took a moment to ponder her request before speaking again. "I love you, Gabriella. You know I would do anything for you. But with this-" he pointed back and forth between the two of them "You know you're breaking my heart, right? You know that?"

Gabriella opened her mouth to speak, but Troy held a hand up to stop her.

"Don't. Don't apologize again. Please? But just tell me one thing."

"What?" she questioned.

"Is there still- I mean, when all of this is said and done, is there still a chance... for us?"

Gabriella pressed her lips together and looked at him. Without saying a word, she reached under the collar of her nightshirt and pulled out the 'T' necklace that she had yet to remove from around her neck and brought it up against her lips and held it there for a moment.

Troy watched her and pushed the hope he felt from her movements to the back of his mind. He dropped his arms to his sides and took a deep breath, trying to hide his new glimmer of excitement.

"I've gotta go. Andy's meeting me at the gym. There's bacon on the stove. I fixed enough for both of us, but I'm suddenly not hungry anymore. Help yourself."

She watched as he went through his daily pre-workout routine- which included a tablespoon of L-carnitine and sixteen ounces of his blue raspberry flavored NOS Blast powder mixed with water in his blender bottle- grabbed his wallet, phone, and keys and walked out the door, leaving her to stand in the empty apartment. Alone, yet again... just Gabriella and her thoughts. She released a breath that she didn't realize she had been holding and pushed herself off the front of the refrigerator and walked into her bedroom to get ready for her study group meeting.

**TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF**

As Andy stood in the foyer of the gym waiting on the receptionist to get two towels from the cabinet, he replayed the voice mail message that he had received a few days prior. He wasn't sure what to make of it, but he planned on getting the appropriate information from his former roommate during this particular workout session.

_"Hey Cuz! First of all, I hope your tournament in Georgia went well. Glad you're back. Got some information you might find interesting. I'll save it for wings and beer one night, but until then, you'd better tell your basketball buddy Troy that he's got his work cut out for him. This 'geek' just had a date with Gabriella Montez and I for one think it may be the first of many! I'll give you the full details later. Give me a call when you can!"_

While listening to that message the first time, Andy could almost hear the smile that he just knew was plastered on his cousin's face. Davis had had a thing for Gabriella since their freshman year, and Andy had told him on many occasions to back off and let it go. It was for that reason that Andy was thoroughly confused by his cousin's message and hoped to get the answers he needed from Troy.

When Troy pulled up in the parking lot of the gym, he spotted Andy's car already parked. As he passed by his former roommate's car, he felt the hood and noticed that it was still warm, telling him that Andy had only just gotten there. He tapped into his acting experience and forced his excitement and when he walked inside, he spotted Andy checking in and taking the two towels from the receptionist that she was holding out to him.

"Andy! Hey, Man!"

"Hey, Troy. How's it going?"

The two friends greeted each other with a handshake and a manly pat on the back. Andy tossed Troy one of the two towels and the two scanned their membership cards to check in. The door to the gym itself buzzed and they left the foyer, walking to the mats for their warm up.

After stretching appropriately and doing some push-ups and spotting each other in some crunches and sit ups, the two moved to the rack where the dumbbells of various weight increments rested. Troy and Andy each picked up the 50 pound weight- both deciding to start off light and work their way up- and started lifting. The conversation centered around school and the exams they each had coming up at the end of the following month. Andy even asked Troy about his upcoming performance in the school's production of _The Importance of Being Earnest._

"You excited?" Andy asked him.

"You've known me for four years. When have I not been excited about a production?"

"Well, that's true, but you actually have the lead role in this one."

The two men put their dumbbells back on the rack and moved on to the barbells. Andy took position on the bench first, leaving Troy to get the weights set for him.

"How much?" he asked as he moved to the rack to get the appropriate round disks.

"Um, let me start with sixty on each side."

Troy picked up the fifty and ten pound weights and set them on either side of the barbell. After he took his position for spotting, Andy began to lift. After fifteen repetitions, Andy stopped and sat up to rest before starting again.

"Not just the leading role, but aren't you excited to finally get rid of the Paul Bunyan look?"

"Ha ha," Troy said as he tossed his towel at Andy, hitting him in the face. "You jackass. It's not that bad!"

"I bet Gabriella likes it," Andy commented with a wiggle of his eyebrows as he moved to lay back down on the bench for some more repetitions.

"Um, yeah. She uh, she hasn't said much about it." Troy spoke quietly as he looked at the ground and stood above Andy once more. "Let me know when you're ready," he said, trying to change the subject.

"Okay, go," Andy said and Troy lifted the bar waiting on Andy to grip it and start lifting for twenty-five repetitions this time. When he was done and sat up to wipe the sweat from his face once more, he stood from the bench to allow Troy to take a seat for his turn. It was at that moment that he noticed the faraway look on his friend's face.

"Dude, what's going on?" he asked. Troy's eyes remained glazed over and he kept his focus on a spot on the nearby wall. "Troy?" Still no answer. "Helloooo?" Andy tried, waving a hand in front of Troy's face. "Troy, you still with me, Man?"

"Huh?" Troy asked, finally focusing on Andy once more.

"Where'd you go just then?"

"Nowhere. I'm just not focused," Troy told him as he took his place on the bench. "You ready?"

Andy nodded and took his place at Troy's head, but knew he was hiding something. He knew Troy was stubborn, but Andy was more stubborn. He wasn't giving up that easily. He decided to try another approach to finding out what was going on.

"Did Gabriella's friend get back okay?" he asked. Troy's response of "I guess" came out as a grunt while exhaling in between reps as he continued to lift the bar above his head and lower it to his chest again. Andy's eyebrows raised in surprise and he continued. "I really didn't think we'd be meeting this morning, seeing as how the two of you would have the apartment to yourselves again!" Troy noticed Andy's mischievous wink and suddenly stopped the repetitions and slammed the bar back on the holder with the help of a shocked Andy. He sat up and yanked his towel off the hook where he had hung it a few moments prior.

"Can we not talk about that, please?" Troy asked.

"Um, yeah. Sorry. Geez. I didn't know that the topic of your girlfriend would hit a nerve with you. You usually can't shut up about her. Not that I mind or anything. I mean, she _is_ hot and all- Hey!" He stopped talking as Troy's towel came flying at his face. He watched as Troy walked over to the punching bag and put the gloves on that were resting nearby. "Need me to spot?" he asked, only to get his answer when Troy started punching at the bag without a spotter to hold it still. "Or maybe not."

When Troy took a momentary break to catch his breath, he spotted Andy leaning against the wall with his arms crossed in front of his chest, looking at him with his eyebrows raised.

"What?" Troy snaps.

"Can I ask you something?" Andy requested.

"Depends on what it is," Troy said as he moved to stand in front of the punching bag again and threw a few jabs before he turned his attention to Andy.

"Well, I'm going to anyway." Andy noticed Troy's eye roll and chose to ignore it and continue. "Gabriella..." he started.

"I would really rather not," Troy said, cutting Andy off as he turned back to the punching bag and jabbed a few more times.

"I'm going to ask anyway."

"Then why ask my permission?" Troy asked as he kept punching, slightly annoyed.

"Look, Man, the story is this: I got a message from my cousin, Davis, a couple of days ago. You met him at the party last week, right?" Troy's death glare alone confirmed Andy's suspicions. "Well, that look answers that. But it also worries me."

"Dude, if you're so interested in me and my relationship then why don't _you_ ask my girlfriend out?" Troy snapped.

"So it's true?"

When all he got in response was an eyeroll, Andy sighed as he thought about how to tell Troy what he knew. "Davis said he went out with Gabriella and that I should tell you something like he's going out with her again and you're work is cut out for you." He watched as the anguish grew on Troy's face. Troy clenched his jaw and turned back to the punching bag and started throwing punches again, ignoring what Andy had just told him.

_That ass. Bragging about MY girlfriend..._

"Wanna talk about it?" Andy asked him.

"No," was Troy's simple response, but Andy wasn't ready to give up.

"You know, I'm really glad to learn this about you now and not when you're a professional, licensed therapist."

"What are you talking about?" Troy asked through his grunts as he continued punching the four feet tall bag.

"Well, I mean, most therapists encourage their patients to talk things out, and here you are keeping it all in. Remind me to come to you when I need help in the future."

Troy stopped punching and turned to look at Andy. "Look, I would love to tell you what's going on but I can't even make sense of it in my own head." Troy took the boxing gloves off and threw them on the floor and walked over to the dumb bell rack and picked up two more of the weights and started lifting again.

"So I'll ask again," Andy started. "What's going on?"

Troy shook he head as he put the weights back on the rack and got on the floor in the front leaning rest position, ready to do more push-ups. Andy walked up to him, frustrated with Troy for holding it all in. He'd seen this side of Troy before and knew from experience that it would not end well. He put his foot on Troy's back and pressed down with as much of his weight as he could. Troy attempted to fight the extra weight and kept trying for the push-ups, but he was finally forced to stop when he realized he wasn't even going to get one with Andy's force pushing down on him. He situated himself so he was sitting on the mat and turned his red, sweaty face so he could look up at Andy. His eyes showed his torment and Andy's heart went out to his friend as he sat on the floor next to him, handing him a bottle of water from inside his bag.

"Just talk through it, Troy. What happened between the time we left California for the tournament and when we got back?"

Troy twisted the lid back on the bottle of liquid and ran his hand over his face. "That's just it, I don't know! Taylor was here. Gabriella had made plans to play tour guide and show her around and they were just gonna spend time together. But every time I talked to her while we were gone, the conversations just got weird and she was distant and then- before I knew it- she started talking about seeing other guys."

"What happened when you got back?"

"I was getting my bag out of the truck and Davis pulled into the parking lot a few spots down from me and Gabriella was getting out of _his_ car."

"A study date, right?" Andy asked. He feared he already knew the answer. "Davis can be a jerk and the situation was totally meaningless, I'm sure."

"No," Troy said softly, shaking his head. "Gabriella said they just went as friends. But... I can't help but feel like there's just more to this. I don't think it's just Davis."

"What do you mean by that?"

"She said she wants to try and 'figure out who she is.' I have no clue what that means or what I'm supposed to do."

"Wait, so she broke up with you?" Andy asked in disbelief. When Troy nodded, he continued. "But Troy, Man, you and Gabriella are practically married. You two are engaged, right?"

"No. We've been dating for over five years, but not engaged yet...and you know, I'm not sure. I guess we are broken up now. I just... I don't know."

"It sounds confusing. I'm sorry. As long as you two have been together..."

"I know. I wish I knew what I had done. Or better yet, what Taylor said. I just don't even know what would push her to do this. I thought I knew her- better than anyone."

"And you do. But in all honesty, I think that what you've just said to me, you need to say to her."

"That's just it! I have! And all I got was the 'It's not you, it's me' spiel."

"What if you try again? Maybe not right now. Things are confused as hell for you and I bet they are for her, too. Let her have some time, some space. But don't just give up. You have to ask her again." Andy watched Troy's face as he took another sip of his water and processed what he was being told. "Do you need a place to stay for a little while? You know my couch is yours. May not be the most comfortable, but it's there for you."

"I don't know. Thanks, but I don't know. I... we talked last night and then again this morning. I told her I'd go bunk somewhere else for a while but she insists that she wants me to stay at the apartment."

"Where's she gonna stay?" Andy asked, confused.

"At the apartment, too."

"You make that sound like a bad thing."

"Good, bad... I really don't know what to make of it right now."

"Well, for the moment, take it as a good thing. I mean, for starters, she's not likely to bring Davis over for a make out session if she knows you're still living there and are likely to beat the crap out of him. Hell, I may even beat the crap out of him myself, just because I can."

Troy gave a short breath through his nose. "Thanks for that, I guess."

"Was that almost a laugh?" Andy teased him. Troy looked at him and gave a small smile and nodded.

"Almost."

"Got more anger to get out?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I do."

Andy stood from his spot on the mat and held his hand out for Troy to grasp so he, too, could stand. "Then even though he's my cousin, I'll let you picture Davis' face on the bag. What do you say?"

"I say 'game on'," Troy told him. Andy tossed the gloves at Troy and he caught them, put them on, and waited for Andy to take his position behind the bag and hold it for him before he started punching again. Five years of love, adoration, arguments, making up, supporting each other, teasing each other... it all came rushing back to Troy in those few minutes. All his frustrations came pouring out for the next half hour and Andy was the epitome of the supportive friend, allowing Troy to curse his family member for the precariousness of his relationship.


	13. Heart to Heart

**Hello, everyone! I should have posted this a week ago. I'm sorry for making you wait. I've been extremely busy at home and work. **

**With that being said, I'm going to be honest about something that's been on my mind: home and work are more important to me. Writing is just a "for fun" something that I do. In saying that, I have a simple request. DO NOT SEND ME A REVIEW/ PM ASKING ME TO PLEASE "UPDATE SOON" AND OTHER QUESTIONS ABOUT WHERE THIS STORY IS GOING. 1) Asking me to "update soon" will not make me go faster and 2) I will not give spoilers about my story. The purpose of reading is to wait and see what's going to happen next. **

**On that note, sit back, relax, and enjoy the chapter!**

**Chapter 13: Comfort**

Half an hour later, Troy had exhausted the punching bag and was feeling a fraction better. Picturing Davis' face and punching the bejeezus out of it helped tremendously. He and Andy went through the motions of their cool down exercises and mixed up their post workout shakes, drinking on them as they made their way to the locker room to gather their belongings. Troy reached into his bag and pulled out his Android phone and saw it blinking with an incoming text. He punched in the code to unlock it and groaned when he saw who the sender of the text was.

"Damnit," he said as he banged his head against the wall behind him. "Oh, geez. Man! I don't need this today!"

"What?" Andy questioned him as Troy turned the phone so Andy could read the text. "Wow! Who's that from?"

"Gabriella's mom," Troy told him with dread evident in his voice.

Andy let out a low whistle through his teeth and gave Troy a manly pat on the back. "Sucks to be you, Man!"

"She's never really intimidated me before, but for some reason- right now- I'm terrified! I can only imagine what she has to say," he said as he read through the text once more.

_I need to talk to you. Meet me at Starbucks, Market St, 2:00. Troy, I need to know your side of things. No questions, no judgment. I just need to know._

"So much for lunch, I guess," Troy said as he glanced at the time on his phone and did the mental calculations of travel time to the apartment for the purpose of showering and changing and getting back to downtown San Francisco.

"I don't envy you right now," Andy told him with a shake of his head as he picked up his bag. "Facing the ex's parents... never fun."

"Can we not call her that, please?" Troy begged of his friend.

"Why? Be honest with yourself, Troy. That's what she is."

"I realize that, but I'm just not ready to call her my ex, okay?" he said with a pointed look in Andy's direction as he shouldered his own bag.

"Fair enough," Andy told him with a slow, understanding shake of his head. "I'll talk to you later?" he verified.

"Of course," Troy told him, exchanging a fist pound with his team mate. The two walked to the door of the gym, walked to their cars, and left the parking lot, each driving in their own directions.

**TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF**

Maria entered the Starbucks uncertain if her date for the afternoon would join her. She never received a response- which she let slide, knowing it was more than likely just out of nerves- so the outcome of the afternoon was unknown. Although if she was honest with herself- knowing the gentleman that this particular young man was- she just knew deep down that he would show. She approached the counter and ordered a Mocha Java Latte for herself and a Salty Caramel Latte for Troy- which she knew from Gabriella was his favorite drink. Once the drinks were ready, she found a corner table- figuring it would give them some privacy for this particular conversation-, took the seat facing the door, and stared out the window as she waited, troubled by the conversation she shared with her daughter that very morning.

_Saturday mornings were Maria's cleaning time, leaving the afternoon open for any errands she needed to run. The radio was on as she ran the duster over the shelves in her curio cabinet in the living room. Her mind, however, was replaying the conversation with her daughter from the previous day as she made her way through the various rooms of the downstairs portion of the house. She knew that Gabriella was struggling. This was her first love and Maria knew that she was looking to the future. The only thing wrong with Gabriella looking to the future was that she had a tendency to over think. Maria was worried that this was one of those times. Her thoughts were interrupted when her Samsung Galaxy III rang. She put the duster down and moved to pick her cell up from its resting spot on the kitchen counter._

"_Hello?" she said distractedly into the phone as she flipped through the pile of mail that was sitting in the basket- sorting the junk from the bills-, knowing from the caller id that her daughter was on the other end._

"_Mom?" The tearful voice of her daughter immediately caught Maria's attention and without hesitation she dropped the small pile back in the basket._

"_Gabriella? Honey, what's wrong?"_

"_I did it, Mami."_

_Something in Gabriella's voice caused Maria's breath to catch in her throat. She instantly knew to what Gabriella was referring, but was afraid to ask the question that came to mind. _

"_Did what, Dear?"_

"_I broke up with him," Gabriella sobbed into the phone._

"_Oh, Honey..." Maria didn't know what to say. She dropped into the nearby stool at the bar as she listened to Gabriella's sniffles on the other end as she instantly shifted into Caring Mom mode. "Sweetheart, __how? Are you sure… Wh- what happened?" she asked, stumbling with her own nerves at the situation._

_Gabriella proceeded to rehash the story of her lunch with Davis that previous day, followed by her conversation with Troy from the night before, and moved into that morning and what was said between them in the kitchen as Maria listened intently. When Gabriella finally stopped talking, Maria's thoughts were running wild. Of course, her heart broke for her daughter: a woman's first experience in love was a hard class to take, but the lesson of life and answering important questions for herself and her future was even harder. Maria's heart also broke for the young man that she had come to view as a son: all of this was confusing for her daughter; she could only imagine what Troy must be feeling as well. It was at that moment that she decided she needed to see him. _

_After a few minutes of consoling her daughter, Maria made sure Gabriella was calmed down and finished crying before wrapping up their conversation. She made Gabriella promise that the two would get together for lunch after church the next day and hung up the phone. Maria sat at the bar stool for a moment, lost in her thoughts. Finally, a caring smile made its way to her lips as an idea began to form in her mind. She quickly pulled up the text menu on her phone, typed out a text and hit send, and set to work putting her plan into motion. _

Two minutes later, she was brought back to reality as she watched the recipient of that text walk through the door and watched as he searched the small coffee house for her. She noticed that he drew in a deep breath and cleared his throat when he spotted her and made his way to the table. She offered the same caring small smile, hoping to make him feel more comfortable.

"Hey, Maria," he greeted her as he leaned down and placed a kiss to her cheek. Maria couldn't help but notice that his lips felt hesitant against her cheek, as if he was unsure about the status of their relationship after the most recent events

"Hello, Troy," she said as she puckered her lips and gave him an air kiss as his lips touched her cheek in hopes to make him feel more comfortable. She motioned to the chair across from her. "Please sit."

He pulled out the chair and sat, took off his aviator sunglasses, and looked at her. She was taken aback by what she saw. Bloodshot eyes, dark circles, the brilliant blueness that even melted her own heart gone, only to be replaced by a dull gray.

"So not only have you not been sleeping, but you've also been crying? And be honest with me," she rushed on as she pointed a finger in his direction. "Don't try to be macho & tell me you're fine. I'm a mom, remember? I'll know."

Troy lifted his left shoulder as he rolled his eyes and took a sip of his drink. The two sat in silence for a long moment, each studying the other. It was Maria who broke the silence first.

"I'm not here to lecture you, Troy," she explained encouragingly. "I'm worried about this situation, about you. Talk to me, _Gato Montés**_. How are _you_?" she gently asked.

"Really?" he retorted with a scoff. Maria raised her eyebrows and was impressed that he at least had the decency to look ashamed. "I'm sorry," with a shake of his head. "I didn't mean it that way."

"I know you didn't," she said, giving him a sympathetic look. "So are you going to answer my question?" she asked pointedly.

"I uh..." he paused to clear his throat. "I'm not good, Mo- Maria. If I'm going to be honest with you, I'm not good at all. I didn't sleep last night. I was distracted during my workout this morning. Hell, I'm distracted right now. I can't help but wonder what's going on during her study group right now."

"This Davis is in her study group, isn't he?" Maria asked, receiving a nod from Troy in response. At that moment, her phone rang. Maria reached into her purse and pulled it out, taking a second to glance at the caller id. "Excuse me for a moment," she said as she turned the phone around so Troy could see Gabriella's name on the screen. "Hi, Sweetheart."

"_Hi, Mom!"_

"You sound a lot better than you did this morning," Maria pointed out.

"_As well I should. I've actually had a pretty good day!"_

"Well, good! So your studying is productive today?" Maria asked cautiously as she took a sip of her drink.

"_Oh, yeah. It definitely is. We're taking a break for a few minutes. What are you up to?"_

"Oh, I'm just meeting Tr- uh, a friend, for some drinks at Starbucks," Maria told her, hoping Gabriella didn't pick up on her verbal slip up as Troy's eyes widened.

"_Wait, Mom... did you say that you're meeting Troy?"_

Maria held her breath as she debated her answer. Finally, the "truth over lies" motto that she had raised Gabriella to live by won. "Yeah, Sweetheart. I did."

"_Um, Mom... why?"_

"Why what?"

"_Why are you talking to him? Why did he call you? What does he want?"_ Gabriella rushed her words together in a panic.

"Gabriella, Mija, he's hurting, too," Maria told her, her voice soft.

"_I know, but... Mom, that's... that's just.."_

"What, Honey? It's what? Just say it," Maria coaxed her.

"_It's awkward, Mom. Okay? I just... I don't want to tell you that you can't see him or can't talk to him, but it's just awkward that you are. __I've told you both, this is something I need to do. There's no reason for him to come running to you.__"_

"Well, Sweetheart, I'm sorry, but I'm not going to stop-"

"_I know you're not, Mom, and __I can't stop you. This is just confusing enough without wondering what he's telling you versus what I'm telling you. You're __**my**__ mother.__ I'm just sayin' that I'm not even sure how this is all working out __in my own head. Who am I supposed to turn to if HE is running to you?__,"_ Gabriella pouted._ "E__specially now that I have a date tonight..." _she muttered under her breath as a second thought.

Maria paused with her cup halfway to her mouth, and lowered it to set it back down on the table. _Did I just hear her right?_ She cleared her throat before speaking again. "I'm sorry, you have a _what_ later?"

Throughout the conversation, Troy had been looking down at the table, studying it intently. However, when he heard Maria's question, he jerked his head up to look at the older Montez and his eyes narrowed. Even though he obviously couldn't hear what Gabriella said she had that night, he knew it could only be one thing: the reason why she broke up with him to begin with, to date other people and to "find herself", as she had put it. He rolled his eyes in frustration as he thought about her argument once again.

"_I have a date, Mom. Please don't tell Troy. He doesn't know yet. I kinda want to tell him myself."_

"He's not going to be happy, Mija." Maria saw the look on Troy's face and in his eyes and was going to do all she could to plead his case.

"_I know, Mom," _Gabriella told her, rolling her eyes in frustration.

"And with good reason."

"_Mother! I'm not doing this to intentionally hurt Troy. That's not what this is about. Don't let him make you think that." _Gabriella verbally let her frustration out and then actually thought about the man she still cared so much for._ "__That's why I need to be the one to tell him," _she softly admitted.

"I'm not sure I'm too happy, either," Maria continued, taking another sip of her drink as she raised her eyebrows in Troy's direction.

"_Mom, it's just a friendly date. It's not like I'm making out with another man." _Gabriella's frustrated huff that Maria heard was all it took to know that this conversation was going nowhere.

"You know what, let's discuss this later, okay? I need to talk with Troy right now. You do what you need to do and we'll catch up after your study group... or tomorrow afternoon... or whenever you can." Maria ended the call without waiting on a response from her daughter- a sure sign to Gabriella that her mother was not too happy with her at that moment. Maria released a deep sigh as she looked at Troy, her frustration at her daughter radiating in her brown eyes.

"She has a date later, doesn't she?" Troy asked, keeping his eyes on the table top in front of him as he worked hard to keep the hurt from his voice.

"Yeah. She asked me to not to tell you. She said she wanted to be the one to do so. I feel like I need to apologize for that," Maria told him.

Troy shook his head and scoffed. "I don't know what I did wrong, Maria. I don't understand it. I've always supported her and what she wants to do. I don't want to hold her back at all. I - I love her."

Maria felt sympathy for Troy when she noticed the sadness and tears in his eyes. She knew he was genuine in his feelings for her daughter. "I know that. She knows that. Anyone who knows you knows that you love her. There is no question about that at all, Troy. None. Please don't think that."

"Then what am I supposed to think? I'm scared to see her go on a date with anyone else. I can just feel it, Mom... I can feel her being drawn to someone who's smarter than me and has more in common with her and can offer her more of what she wants from life. And I can't fight that." Troy shook his head and raised his hands in the air as his speech picked up intensity. "I can't match the high IQ. I can't talk science and mathematics and law. I can't... I just can't."

"And that's why she loves you! _Gato_, she _is_ in love with you. Please believe me, that hasn't changed. She loves you, Troy, for who you are. You know Gabriella. She loves everything about you, just the way you are. The sports enthusiast, the tender hearted, soon-to-be child psychologist, the caring and nurturing man..." Maria paused in her speech and smiled softly as she recalled a conversation with Gabriella from the previous spring semester the year before. "Did I ever tell you about the love and admiration in her expression when she told me you were planning on getting your master's and wanted to work with children? You're in her heart, Troy. She loves you because of who you are. Just give her a little time to remind herself of that."

Troy remained silent, occasionally sipping on his caramel latte, as he listened to Maria. "She says she needs to remember who Gabriella is. Once she realizes that she's not herself without you, she'll be back."

"How can you be so sure?" he asked, his voice laced with doubt.

"Because I know my daughter," she told him pointedly.

The two were silent for a long moment, allowing Troy the opportunity to process what Maria had told him. Finally, Troy spoke up.

"She told me last night that she's staying in the apartment. Did she tell you about that?" Maria nodded and there was another thoughtful silence.

"Maria, can I ask you something?" Troy asked her, as he looked into the dark liquid in his cup.

"Honey, of course you can. I had hoped you would know that by now."

Troy swallowed thickly as he reached into his pocket and pulled out the small box whose content – to him and Maria – had become a symbol of his future with her daughter. He cautiously brought his eyes up to meet hers. The now wide, brown eyes painfully reminded him of Gabriella's and his heart broke all over again. He took a deep breath, rolled the box in his fingers, then held it out toward Gabriella's mother, and asked the one question that he almost didn't want to ask, fearing what the answer may be. "Do you want me to give you back the ring?"

"No," Maria answered without hesitation, forcefully shaking her head and narrowing her eyes to focus on him, not the item in question. "I gave it to you to give to Gabriella. I want you to keep it and make sure _you_ give it to my daughter." She placed her hand over his and pushed the box deeper into his grasp until he moved to put it back into his pocket.

Troy nodded as he took another sip, polishing off the last few drops of his caramel latte. Maria's voice caught his attention once more.

"Hey?" she said, watching as he looked at her again. "Just hang in there, okay? Everything will work out. You two will be okay."

"I'll try," he offered sadly with a shrug of his shoulders. "Thank you," he said.

Before he could stand to leave the table, Maria reached out and took his hand in hers again, encouraging him to remain seated for a few more minutes. "Now, with all that being said, I have something," she told him, as she reached down to the seat of the chair next to her and revealed a shoe box that she had lovingly wrapped in blue tissue paper with a gold ribbon tied around it- her own shout out to the Berkeley Bears. "Here… for my _Gato Montes,_" she said with a smile.

"What's that?" Troy asked, intrigued.

"Something to help you feel better," she told him with a mischievous sparkle in her brown eyes that reminded him so much of Gabriella's.

"Maria, you know that there's only one thing- one person- who can do that."

"I know. But I had to do something to let you know that I still believe in you."

"So what is it?" he asked her, as she watched the excitement grow on his face. He reminded her of a five year old on Christmas morning and she couldn't help but laugh at the sight.

"Open it," Maria told him with a small smirk on her face.

Troy lifted the lid off the box, peered inside, and his grin widened, the biggest it had been in almost a week.

"Yes!" he exclaimed, pumping his fist in the air in triumph. "Brownies! Thanks, Mom!"

Maria laughed at his reaction, and reached across to take his hand in hers once more. "You're welcome, Sweetheart. I though you would appreciate it."

"I do!" he said, as he stood and made his way to her side of the table, giving her a hug. When he pulled back, he sat back in his seat and put the lid back on the box.

"Take care of yourself, Troy. I know it's hard right now, but your focus needs to be on school and the exams you have coming up. Graduation, graduate schools, all of it. If you focus on other important areas of your future, the waiting will be easier." Troy nodded, as he considered her words of wisdom.

"Thanks for the talk, Maria," he told her. "Thanks for listening."

"You're welcome. Don't be afraid to call me if you need to. Lucille's not here, so someone has to look out for you."

"Mom!" Troy said suddenly, his eyes growing wide.

"What?" Maria asked, startled.

"My mom! I haven't talked to her and Dad yet. Maria, if you talk to her, please don't mention any of this to her. I kinda want to figure it all out myself before I say anything to them."

"I get it. Don't worry. My lips are sealed. This is your news to share, not mine. But, Troy, don't wait too long. Let them know that something's going on. They'll be here before you know it for graduation," she reminded him.

The two said their goodbyes and departed, Maria feeling just a little better about Troy and his state of mind and Troy stuffing his face with a brownie. Maria smiled as she watched him get in his truck, looked to the sky, and only one thought ran through her mind:

_Okay, Gabriel... You see them. I know you like him. I know you think he's perfect for her, as much as you wouldn't want to admit it. Be with them. Help Gabriella realize her mistake. And soon, please!_

_**= Spanish for "Wildcat"... Maria's own special nickname for Troy_


	14. Back in the Saddle

**Chapter 14**

When Troy returned to the apartment, Gabriella was already back from her study group. He knew from his meeting with Maria that she had a date that evening. He struggled the whole way back from Starbucks with his feelings and how he would react when he saw her. When he walked through the door, though, he was saved by the sound of running water from behind her closed bedroom door. He walked towards it and pressed he ear against the wood, hearing the shower from inside her bathroom. He let out a semi-grateful sigh and went back into the kitchen, placed the box of brownies from Maria on the counter, and walked into his own room. He had a paper that was due within the upcoming week in one of his classes, and he wanted to work on it tonight while he was alone. Maybe that would keep him distracted.

Troy picked up his backpack and laptop and carried them both into the living room, just as he heard Gabriella's shower turn off. He set them down on the couch and went into the kitchen. Troy got two of the brownies out of the box and poured himself a glass of milk and went back into the living room, making himself comfortable on the couch. He had just turned on his laptop and plugged in his flash drive while he waited on it to boot up when he spotted Gabriella out of the corner of his eye as she emerged from her bedroom with a towel wrapped around her tiny body. He tried hard to keep his attention focused on the screen in front of him and not turn his gaze where he really wanted it to be.

_She knows what she's doing, walking around barely covered..._ he thought to himself, slightly irritated.

"Hey, what's this?" Her voice broke through his thoughts. He turned to look at her in the kitchen and saw her holding up the blue shoebox.

"Something your mom gave me," he told her emotionless as he turned his focus back to the computer in his lap.

"When did you see Mom?" she asked as she crossed her arms across her terrycloth covered breasts.

"I had coffee with her this afternoon," he said pointedly. "I was right there at the table when she told you over the phone that she was having coffee with me."

"Tattling isn't your best attribute, Troy. I've already talked to my mother about what's going on, by the way."

"_She_ called _me_. I went because she asked me to. I'm glad you've talked to her. The last thing I'm going to do is run to your mother."

"What did she give you?"

"She gave me brownies, Gabriella. Does it matter?" he snapped, furrowing his eyebrows in irritation as he looked in the direction of the kitchen where she was standing.

"Gee... Sorry I bothered to try and have a conversation with you." She threw the box back on the counter and left the room, making her way back into her bedroom and shutting the door behind her.

"Well, I'm sorry that things are what they are. When I'm blindsided the way I was, do you really think I'm going just sit here and be friends? Conversation really isn't going to come easily around here," he said quietly to himself.

About half an hour later, Gabriella emerged again, dressed in dark jeans and a red sleeveless top that was fitted just right, accentuating her curves in just the right places... the places that Troy loves... _used to_ love. Her eye makeup was a smoky black and her hair hung in curls down her back, with half of it pulled back and loose tendrils framing her face. She had on a pair of red heels and carried a red clutch purse and a white jacket. Troy turned when he heard her piddling around behind him and swallowed when he took in her appearance.

"You look great," he told her.

"Thank you." He couldn't help but notice her soft voice and the slight wavering. He counted about four times that she had licked her lips since she came from the bedroom... a habit he knew she had when she was nervous.

"Are you meeting the girls?" he asked, referring to Gabriella's former roommate and two suite mates from when she lived in the dorm. The four girls became fast friends their freshman year and when Gabriella moved off campus this year, the four tried to get together about once a week and catch up. He knew that was not the case, though. Even though he knew about her date, she had yet to tell him about it herself and he was trying to get the information from her.

"Um, no. We're getting together later this week before they all leave for Spring Break."

"Then where are you going?"

"Does it matter?" she asked, throwing his words from earlier back at him.

"Look, Gabriella, you may think otherwise, but I do still care. If you're going out alone, I think someone should know where you are."

"Except I'm not going out alone, so don't worry about that, okay?"

"Wait, you're not going alone?" _She's finally getting somewhere_, he thought.

"Nope."

He looked at her, raising his eyebrows expectantly when she still hadn't said anything after several seconds.

Gabriella let out a frustrated huff as she stared into his blue eyes that always seemed to mesmerize her. Finally, she admitted the truth to him. "I've got a date," she said softly.

"So soon?" he asked with a little more attitude than he intended as he placed his laptop on the couch next to him. He picked up his empty milk glass and walked into the kitchen to refill it.

"What?" She turned to follow his movements with her eyes.

"Well, I mean, you must have been planning this breakup for a while now if you've got a date within the first twenty-four hours. Did you have him lined up waiting?" he asked as he leaned in to retrieve the milk from the refrigerator.

"Troy-"

"Wait, it's Davis, isn't it? That's how he knew when to ask you out, right?" He straightened and took a sip as he looked at her, not hiding the hurt in his eyes. "I bet you guys had a good laugh at your study group this morning, didn't you?"

"Troy, don't do this," she begged.

"Don't do what, Gabriella? Don't be upset? Don't be angry? Well, guess what, Sweetheart.," he paused as he walked past her and leaned down to whisper in her ear. "It's a little too late for that, don't you think?" He walked back to the couch and sat down, setting his glass of milk on the coffee table and bringing his computer back into his lap before turning to face her once more. "Have fun on your _date_," he told her, with a touch of venom lacing his voice.

Gabriella stood for a moment watching him as she felt the tears fill her eyes once more. She blinked quickly several times trying to get them to disappear before she picked her keys up off the counter.

"I'll be back later," she said in a soft voice.

"I won't wait up," Troy told her. She looked at him for a long moment before storming out and slamming the door behind her. When he was finally alone again, Troy was able to let his guard down and let his true feelings show. "Please be careful and let me know when you get home. You know I won't be able to sleep till I know you're back."

He took a deep breath and let it out as he leaned his head back to rest on the back of the couch. He shifted his eyes a few inches to the left and spotted one of the many pictures of the two of them on the side table and spoke to the photographed Gabriella. "How did things get so bad between us? When did I loose my best friend to some unknown source?" He sighed heavily and shook his head. "Whatever, Troy. Work on your paper," he told himself, as he sat up and lost himself for the night in his paper for his Marriage and Family class.

**TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF**

As Gabriella made the drive to downtown San Francisco to The Irish Bank- the restaurant where she was meeting Declan, an attorney from the law firm where she did her internship- she let her mind wander. She thought back to the last couple of days and how she got to where she currently was.

_I'm driving to meet my date_, she thought to herself. _Really, Gabriella? A date? Didn't you have a guy waiting to take you on a date every night for the rest of your life? But noooooo... you had to go and screw that up, didn't you?! _She rolled her eyes at thinking about how she could have been so naïve as to have let Taylor convince her that things were not perfect between her and Troy. They _were_ perfect, and Gabriella knew that. But yet Gabriella so willingly let an outside force ruin what was probably the best thing to have ever happened to her.

As she reached a red light, she took a moment to close her eyes and let out a heavy sigh. She didn't want to be going on this date; she would have rather stayed home with Troy, snuggled up on the couch watching a movie. But those days were over...

A horn honking behind her brought Gabriella back to the present time. "Sorry," she muttered to herself, holding her hand up in an apologetic wave. As she pressed down on the accelerator and started driving again, she thought back to that day at the library with her study group. They had taken a twenty minute break and Gabriella had run to the restroom- her coffee from that morning had kicked in a long time ago and she was quickly becoming uncomfortable sitting at the table. It was on her way outside to call her mom that she heard her name being called from a nearby table. When she looked in the direction of the voice, she saw him: one of the attorneys from the law firm that she had struck up a friendship with. He was in her group of acquaintances from work that was five people big that she liked to sometimes have lunch with.

Declan McLaughlin was tall with a fair complexion, high cheekbones, red hair and green eyes. There was no doubt to anyone who merely looked at him that he was Irish. And if just looking at him wasn't enough, the interior of his office would be a clue with the green walls and the Trinity Cross hanging behind his desk. He had a glass Irish Claudaugh paperweight sitting on his desk and a wall plaque hanging near the door with the Irish Blessing engraved into it.

He was a very pleasant person with a great sense of humor, and the first time Gabriella saw him, she thought he was attractive. Which is why when she ran into him that day at the library and they started talking, she was surprised when he asked her out. Her first instinct was to say no.

"I'm sorry, Declan, but my boyfr-" As soon as she realized what she was about to say, she stopped and paused. After several seconds of thought, she quickly changed her mind. "You know what, never mind. I would love to go out with you. What did you have in mind?"

He told her about "this little restaurant that I go to all the time. The best one in San Francisco. They're known for their live band on the weekends". She suggested that they meet there instead of him picking her up at her apartment and he agreed. She didn't tell him that her reason for that was two fold: in case he turned out to be a dud or a total jerk and she needed a quick getaway and because she didn't want to see the hurt in Troy's eyes at seeing her leave with another man. She didn't feel too leery of this date, though- the two of them hit it off great at the office.

_But this isn't the office, Gabriella_, she reminded herself. _People are completely different when you get them out of the office and they start to let loose._

As she pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant and found a space, she quickly checked her appearance once more in the rearview mirror before getting out. As she approached the door, she was greeted by loud, live music and the yells of obviously drunk men and a cloud of smoke surrounding her. She inwardly cringed as she walked in and told the hostess that she was meeting someone. As she made her way around the restaurant looking for Declan, she couldn't help but notice the obvious looks of appreciation she was getting from the other patrons. She suddenly felt self-conscious about her appearance.

She spotted Declan sitting at the bar with a cigarette in his hand. "Wow," she said to herself. "Had no idea that he smoked. There goes our first date kiss." She walked up to where he was and gently placed her hand on his shoulder. "Declan?" she said to get his attention.

Declan turned on the barstool he was sitting on to face her. "Hey!" he greeted her. He leaned forward and Gabriella gave him a tight smile and turned her head, so his lips landed on her cheek instead. "I was wondering when you'd get here."

"Um, I'm ten minutes early," she said with obvious confusion in her voice.

"What?" he said as he leaned a little closer with his ear near her mouth.

"I said that I'm early," she said, raising her voice a little.

"Oh," he said, checking his watch. "It just seems later than it really is, I guess. That's what happens when you've been here for three hours already."

"Wait, you've been here three hours?"

"Oh, yeah! I told you I love this place."

"Well, yeah, but I didn't realize you practically lived here." Gabriella didn't even try to hide the sarcasm; he wouldn't have picked up on it anyway. Not even five minutes in and already she could tell that she would later be thankful that she drove there herself.

"Let's go get a table, shall we?" he said.

"Um, sure," she agreed.

"Good, let me finish this beer real quick." Gabriella rolled her eyes in annoyance and watched as he signaled to the bar tender that he needed another and then in one gulp he polished off the last half of the nearly black liquid that was in the glass that he held in his hand. He took a final drag off the cigarette and and stubbed it out in the plastic ashtray that sat on the bar before he led the way to a table, leaving Gabriella to reluctantly follow behind.

When the waitress came to take their order, Declan put in an order for another beer.

"But you just got that one," Gabriella pointed out. "Do you need another so soon?"

"This one won't last me but another few minutes or so," he told her.

"Really?" she asked, receiving a nod from him in response. "What exactly are you drinking?"

"Guinness. The national beer or Ireland. Want one?"

"Um, no thanks. My Diet Coke will be enough. How many have you had?"

"Seven," he said, holding up his current glass.

"This one makes seven?" she asked, shocked. "Wow."

"Yeah, well, I have been here for several hours already," he told her. "When the rugby tournament went off an hour and a half ago is when I got my first beer." 

"So seven drinks in an hour and a half? What do you drink when you're watching rugby?"

"Water," he told her simply. "I'm afraid I'll get drunk and not be able to pay attention to the game."

"But you'll be drunk for a first date?" she asked as the music grew louder again.

"What?" he asked, leaning across the table.

"Nevermind," she told him as she rolled her eyes in an irritated fashion.

After she finished off her appetizer of nachos, Gabriella excused herself for the restroom. As she was coming back a few minutes later, she stopped halfway back to the table. She stood there and watched as Declan held one glass in his hand, taking the last sip from it, and there were two others on the table in front of him and he held another cigarette in his hands. Gabriella stood there with her eyes going back and forth from the door to the table where Declan sat.

_It would be so easy..._ she thought to herself. _He probably wouldn't even notice._

It didn't take but mere seconds for her decision to be made. She gripped her purse tighter and quickly made her way out the door of the Irish Bank before she could be spotted and got behind the wheel of her car, driving back in the direction she came about thirty minutes prior.

**TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF**

Troy was brought from his research deep within the world of psychology when he heard the keys jingling in the lock. He knew Gabriella was the only one who had a key and a quick glance at the clock told him it had only been an hour since she left. He was confused why she would be home so soon, and his confusion got the better of him, causing him to- against his better judgment- glance up from the screen of his laptop when she crossed the threshold of the door.

"Hey," he greeted her.

"Never. Again!" she said as she threw her purse and jacket on the floor before flopping herself down in the chair next to the door.

Troy had two thoughts running through his mind after her statement and he took his time with his words. He was afraid of saying the one he really wanted to say and pushing his luck even further with her.

_You mean "never again will I go on a first date and I want to stay with you; will you ever forgive me for my stupidity", right?_

Instead of going with his first thought, though, the therapist side of his brain told him to take a different approach. "I'm taking this to mean that the date didn't go well?" he asked her, receiving a scoff from Gabriella in response.

"That's one way of putting it."

"No offense, but you smell like an ashtray."

"You always tell it straight, don't you?"

"It's easier than beating around the bush," he told her with a shrug.

"I know," she said softly. "That's one of the things I love about you."

The two gazes met and held for a brief moment as Troy's mind stayed on the statement she just made. _"That's one of the things I love about you..."_

_Love? Not loved, but love. There is still hope..._ he told himself.

Gabriella's voice broke through his thoughts, bringing him back to the living room and the current situation. "Oh my gosh. I'm telling you, Troy, it was awful!"

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked her. Things may be tense between them, but he did still care for her and wanted her to be happy, whatever that may mean.

She seemed to ponder that for a moment, before nodding in agreement. "Let me make start some coffee and take another shower. I've got to get out of these clothes and get this smell off me!"

Troy chuckled as she pushed herself off the chair and made her way to the kitchen to start a pot of coffee and then into her bedroom. Fifteen minutes later, she re-emerged fresh from her second shower in two hours and in her pajamas, hair tied up in a messy bun and glasses resting on her nose.

"Want a cup?" she asked Troy from in the kitchen.

"Yes, please," he said. She reached into the cabinet and pulled out two cups, fixing coffee for both of them. She picked the cups up and walked into the living room, handing Troy one and sitting back in the chair. She wasn't fully sitting before standing back up and moving to the couch next to Troy. He looked at her questioningly.

"What was that all about?"

"The chair smells now. I need to Fabreeze it," she told him by way of explanation. Troy chuckled, saved the work he had done on his paper, and closed the laptop, setting it on the floor. He turned so he and Gabriella were facing each other.

"So it was really that bad, huh?" he asked.

Gabriella rolled her eyes and proceeded to tell him about how this date came to be, running into Declan at the library that afternoon and that he was someone she worked with.

"I mean, in a way it was a blind date because I really didn't know that much about him, but yet not really because we interact at the office and all that. But I'm telling you, Troy, the guy who asked me out this afternoon that I see three days a week is not the same guy that I met at the restaurant tonight! It's like quadruple personalities or something!"

She then went on with her story, rehashing the date- the many beers, the half pack of cigarettes, the foul language, the way he carried on about how great he is...

"Did you know that not only was he valedictorian in high school, but that he had a 4.27 GPA? And he got two undergraduate degrees from MIT and had a 4.21 there? And then he went on Yale and got his Master's degree in political science, only to graduate from there with a 3.98? And after that he want on to Harvard Law and graduated number one in his class there, too, with a 4.25?" she said with fake excitement as Troy laughed. "Oh, but wait, it gets better! He's planning on running for a political office next fall and he just knows that he has a great shoot at it, because the McLaughlin name comes with huge connections and is very powerful in San Francisco, if not in the whole state of California!"

"Sounds like he very stuck on himself," Troy said as he gasped for breath, trying to calm his laughter. "So I take it the fact that this dinner went so quickly for you was because you had ample amounts of time to eat since he wouldn't let you speak?"

"Oh, no, I left after the appetizers," she told him nonchalantly.

"Are you serious?"

"Absolutely. He probably didn't even notice that I left. He was on Guinness number twenty-seven by that point, I think." Gabriella joined in with Troy's laughter for a moment. When he got up to take his coffee cup to the kitchen, Gabriella asked if she could borrow his computer for a second. After receiving an affirmative answer, she brought up the Google page and quickly found what she was looking for.

"What are you searching?" Troy asked her as he came back to the couch, looking over her shoulder to read what she had typed in the search engine. "'Irish baby names'?"

"I'm curious about something," she told him as she studied the page. Her eyes scanned down till she found it. "A-ha! I think this may have something to do with his personality." She clicked the mouse and turned the computer so Troy can see what she found.

"_From __**dag**__ "good" and __**lan**__ "full" suggesting "full of goodness". St. Declan was the founder of a monastery at Ardmore in County Waterford and may have preached in Ireland before the arrival of St. Patrick. Many miracles are attributed to a rock on the beach at Ardmore known as St. Declan's Stone. According to legend, on a trip back from Wales one of his disciples, Runanus, forgot Declan's scared bell. But a prayer from Declan and, miraculously, the stone carried the bell over the waves back to Waterford," _he read out loud. "Wow."

"So he lives up to the meaning of his name... 'full of goodness'. And he lets you know it, too," she quipped with a roll of her eyes. "Whatever. Here," she said, placing his laptop back in his lap. "I'm going to bed. I didn't sleep well last night." She stood and stretched, causing the top of her pajamas to ride up a little bit, exposing a portion of her taut stomach. Troy was too busy staring at the exposed skin that he almost missed the next statement that came from her mouth.

"Here's hoping the next date is better than this one. Night, Troy."

He watched as she walked out of the room, leaving him feeling more uncomfortable in certain areas than he was before her shower. The last few minutes with the two of them sitting on the couch, talking and laughing, with Gabriella touching his bicep every few minutes as she told him about her date with Declan and finally, the way she leaned against him as they shared the laptop for that brief moment. He let out a sigh as he turned off the computer and stood from the couch, stretching himself.

"Take what you can get, Bolton. She'll realize the truth soon enough."


	15. Introducing Isaac

**Chapter 15**

The next morning was a beautiful spring morning. Gabriella relived the few minutes on the couch with Troy several times in her dreams and woke feeling more relaxed than she had in about a week. The more she thought about it, however, the more confused she became. She felt more confused than before Taylor left. What did the dreams mean? Why was she dreaming of Troy, especially after she broke up with him?

_Aren't I supposed to feel peace about that?_ she asked herself as she stood under the steady stream of water in the shower that Sunday morning. She was getting ready for her Sunday routine of church then lunch at Olive Garden with her mom, followed by a matinee of the latest movie to open that weekend.

It had become routine for Troy to join them for the afternoon as well, but she didn't think that would be the case this particular Sunday. Her suspicions proved correct when she emerged about thirty-five minutes later with her Bible, purse, and keys in hand and spotted him wearing his Under Armor workout clothes, drinking one of his protein drinks. Her heart skipped a few beats and she felt the familiar butterflies in her stomach at the sight of his muscles underneath the straps of his sleeveless shirt.

"No lunch today?" she asked, trying to keep her tone curious.

"No."

"Why not?" She was trying hard to keep the accusatory tone at bay.

"Because I'm not, okay, Gabriella?" he snapped.

_Okay, what happened? _she wondered. _This is not the same Troy I was talking to last night._

"Geez, I'm sorry," she said softly. "I was just checking before I leave."

"I want to go workout before locking myself up for the rest of the day in solitary to finish my paper. I don't want it looming all Spring Break. I just want to be done with at least the rough draft."

"While you avoid me at the same time," she mumbled under her breath.

"What?" he asked while trying to hide the irritation from his voice.

"Nothing," she sighed. "That's fine. See you later, I guess."

"Tell your mom I said hey," he requested, his voice lower than just a moment before.

"I will. Do you need me to put in an order for more brownies?" she tried to tease him, earning a slight smile from him.

"No, not just yet. I'm okay for now. Maria must have made me about four dozen or so, so I think I'm set for a few more days."

She looked toward the container on the counter at the reminder of Troy's boyish side- in chocolate form. "Okay, well I'm gone, then. Have a good workout and I'll be back later this afternoon."

She left the apartment and once the door was closed behind her, she leaned against it and wiped her sweaty palms on her floral skirt.

_What is going on with me?_ she wondered. _Is he always going to have this effect on me? Get with the program, Gabriella! You broke up with him!_

She felt the same lump that she'd had for the past three days and swallowed hard to force it back down. With a sigh, Gabriella pushed herself off the door and made her way down the stairs to her car.

**TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF**

After the service was over, Maria was talking to one of the ladies from her Bible study group and Gabriella was sitting in the chair checking her Twitter and Facebook accounts on her phone while she waited patiently. Her attention was pulled from her mobile device when she felt the presence of another person sitting in the chair beside her. She looked up and noticed the hazel eyes of Isaac Lewis watching her.

"Hi, Isaac," she said, giving him a smile.

"Hello, there."

"How's your break starting out?" she asked him. Isaac was a senior at Berkeley, too, but she didn't know him through Troy. Gabriella and Isaac met when she and Maria started coming to this church three and a half years prior; they were in the college group together. The two sat and conversed for a few minutes, making small talk, before Isaac jumped right in with a question that caught Gabriella off guard.

"Hey, Gabriella, I was wondering something. And this is a complete, total shot in the dark here. But you never know until you try, right?"

"Absolutely, Isaac. What's up?"

"Please don't feel obligated in any way here, but I was wondering if you'd like to go out sometime? I mean, you probably have a boyfriend, but..."

"Actually, I do-" she started to protest, but stopped herself when she realized what she was about to say. "-not... have a boyfriend. I would really like to go out sometime. What'd you have in mind?"

"Dinner?" he suggested.

"I'd like that."

"How does tomorrow work for you?"

"Um, I was getting together with some friends. Can we do tonight?"

"I can't do Sundays. You know, church and all," he said by way of explanation.

"Oh, right. We can't miss that, can we?" she joked.

"Actually, no. We can't miss church. That's important."

"Right," Gabriella said skeptically. "Well, I can contact them and see if we can do Tuesday night or something. Or maybe even tonight. I know they're all getting ready to go home for Spring Break, but I'll ask them and see what they say."

"So you won't be here at church tonight?" he asked in disbelief.

She pulled out the note sheet from that morning's sermon that she had tucked between her Bible and notebook and scribbled down her number. "Here," she told him as she handed the paper to Isaac, ignoring his comment. "Why don't you text me later and we'll work out the details? I would say to call, but my-" she paused, swallowing at the thought of having to use this next word "-roommate told me this morning that he was planning on working on a research paper today. I don't want the phone to disturb him."

"Him?" he asked with raised eyebrows.

"Um, yeah. Why? Is something the matter?"

"Um, no. Not at all. That- that sounds fair. I'll give you a text later this afternoon."

The two said their good byes just as Maria was finished talking to her friend so she and Gabriella walked out of the church and headed to the car.

**TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF**

Maria had always prided herself on being a patient woman. When her husband was diagnosed with cancer when Gabriella was a young girl, she was very patient with all the instructions the doctors gave her and the draining treatments that followed. During his death when Gabriella was nine, she once again had to prove her patience when it came to facing the reality of becoming a single mom. During all of the moves she and Gabriella made, her patience once again was tested.

No amount of patience, however, could prepare her sitting here staring at her daughter. She wanted to know about Gabriella's date from the night before, but didn't want to be the one to bring it up. It was soon proven to her that her almost twenty-two year old daughter was testing the limits of her patience and as each moment with no details from her date passed, she began to get restless. Finally- unable to take it any longer- Maria snapped.

"So?" Maria started as she dipped her bread stick in her soup and took a bite.

"'So' what?" Gabriella asked her.

"So how was it?"

"How was what? The service this morning?" Gabriella knew what her mother was doing. This was her standard 'probe for information' tactic. Maria would start with an incomplete question and expect that Gabriella would know exactly what she was talking about. And despite the fact that she did in fact know what her mom was asking, Gabriella would always play dumb until Maria came flat out and asked what it was she wanted to know. It had always been Gabriella's favorite mental game: _how far can I push Mom before she cracks?_ It always brought both of them some kind of sick pleasure.

However, this time Gabriella was purposefully not telling her mom about the date. It was no secret that Maria was not being very supportive of this whole 'date other people' phase and she certainly didn't want to admit that the date was a bust.

"I thought it was amazing! I loved the music. Chris did an amazing job finding just the right songs that I needed to hear," Gabriella continued her earlier thought.

"I agree with you, but that's not what I was talking about, and you know it." Maria eyeballed her daughter with her next statement, looking for a sign of some sort in her daughter's eyes. "I was talking about your date last night. How was it?"

"Oh, it was great!" Gabriella rushed to answer, ignoring her own fidgeting fingers and the fact that she couldn't look her mother in the eye as she stared down at the soup in the bowl in front of her. Shill she hoped that Maria wouldn't catch her fib this time.

"Really? Tell me all about it. I want to hear about the guy that could perhaps be taking Troy's place in your life."

"Mom..." Gabriella said as she was finally able to bring them up to meet the matching brown ones of her mom.

"No, go on, Gabriella. I want you to tell me about your date."

"Fine," Gabriella said as she readjusted herself in her seat. _Busted!_ she thought to herself.

Maria felt a slight wave of happiness wash through her and she silently cheered when Gabriella rolled her eyes.

"Let's just say that it's a block of an hour and a half that I wasted out of my life and I'll never get back."

"That good, huh?" Maria asked jokingly.

With another eye roll, Gabriella opened up to her mother. "Oh, my gosh! Mom, it was awful!"

Gabriella proceeded to tell her mom about her date from the previous night and Maria laughed at all the appropriate parts. Gabriella got so involved in telling her mom about the date that she didn't stop with just the end of the date.

"...and then Troy said-"

"Wait, Troy?"

"Yeah. You know Troy, Mom. The guy I live with? My roommate? The one that I sometimes wonder if you love more than me?"

"He's also the one you left broken hearted, Mija," Maria sighed. "I'm surprised he was willing to talk to you about your date."

Gabriella rolled her eyes a third time as she dropped her fork on her plate, causing it to clatter and a few patrons at surrounding tables to turn and look.

"Mom, don't. Please?"

"Don't what, Gabriella? Don't try and express my opinion in a discussion that we're having?"

"No, Mom, don't try and make me feel bad about trying to get my future in order." Gabriella found herself getting frustrated with her mom and was working hard to keep her frustrations at bay.

"Gabriella, Troy isn't- wasn't- just your boyfriend. He was ready to give you everything-"

"Then why didn't he do anything about it, Mom?" She reached up to swipe a finger under her left eye, wiping at the lone tear that had escaped without her realizing. Her frustration was growing, but this time, it was at herself. She was not ready to show her mom her doubts over her most recent decision... especially not when she needed Maria's support right now more than ever.

"Oh, Sweetheart... you just don't get it, do you?" Maria's tone softened as she reached across the table and took her daughter's hand in her own. Her heart broke at hearing Gabriella's side of things. She knew Troy was doing all he could to be prepared to become responsible for two futures and not just his own. That was one of the things he had talked to her about two months prior. Maria had tried to convince him that he should let Gabriella in on his plan, but he was insistent that he wanted to do it this way. And now... now he was suffering because she didn't know what he had in store for her.

"What else am I supposed to do, Mom? I need to date other people. I thought that was a good idea, but after last night..." Her voice trailed off as she felt a lump forming. _Here I am again, trying to convince myself..._

Maria's mind quickly shifted from Troy's Ally back to Gabriella's Mother as she reached across the table to take her daughter's hand in her own. "Honey, last night was your first date in five years. You've not had a whole lot of first dates- in fact you've only had one that mattered in your whole life, if I do recall- so you don't have experience in dealing with the bad ones. What they say is true: you have to kiss a lot of toads before you find your handsome prince."

Gabriella watched her mother with the confusion obvious on her face. "Mom, no offense, but that saying doesn't exactly fit in this scenario."

"Doesn't it, though?" Maria asked, matter of fact.

"I haven't been going around kissing guys, Mom," Gabriella told her.

"I wasn't talking about literal kissing, Mija." Maria watched Gabriella's face closely, looking for any signs of comprehension.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that you stumbled upon your 'handsome prince' at a young age. So maybe, just maybe, going out with other men now is not necessarily a bad thing after all. You never know... you may just end up surprising yourself."

"I thought you adored Troy?" Gabriella questioned, confused.

"Oh, I do. Don't get me wrong. Sometimes more than you, in fact," Maria joked with a wink before turning serious once more. "But, Gabriella, sometimes it takes distance for one to realize what they had to fully appreciate it."

**TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF**

Several hours of the late Sunday afternoon passed with the two locked in their individual rooms, both using their own study tactics to get some work done before their Spring Break kicked off. Both were planning on a week of doing nothing and sleeping the day away other than the two days of her internship for Gabriella and three days at the restaurant for Troy with the rest of his days spent at the beach with Andy. Tuesday night, her college girlfriends were planning on taking Gabriella out for her birthday. Even though it wasn't for another two weeks, all four of them would be so busy when classes resumed after Spring Break that this would be the only night they could all get together.

Around dinnertime, both Gabriella and Troy emerged from their rooms at the same time.

"How's the paper going?" Gabriella looked into Troy's face knowing this was a part of school that he hated with a passion.

"Fine," he said with a shrug. "Just gonna grab a sandwich and work out here for a while. I need a change of scenery." He brushed past her and into the kitchen to grab a few pieces of lunch meat and some bread.

Gabriella took a deep breath, and headed to the couch to avoid being too close to Troy.

Monday night, she decided, was reserved for Isaac. No sooner did that thought cross her mind that her phone buzzed in her hand alerting her of an incoming text. She quickly brought the screen to life as she checked the message, noting that it was from Isaac. She chewed on the inside of her cheek slightly as she took a seat on the couch and proceeded to have a conversation with him via their mobile devices.

She turned on the tv as the two texted, setting up their plans for their date, while Troy sat at the desk in the corner of the room working on his paper. When his concentration was interrupted the first time by the sound of her giggling, he looked up from his computer and saw her holding her phone in her hand, typing. As the texts kept coming in and her giddiness grew, so did his jealousy.

After nearly an hour of clicks and giggles, Troy had had enough. Without a word, he pulled the laptop off the desk and moved back into his bedroom. The click of his lock was the only sound he offered to Gabriella as she got to know the other man who was receiving her typed words.

**TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF**

As Gabriella was getting ready Monday evening, her incoming text tone sounded from her phone which was sitting on the kitchen counter. Troy heard it when he was getting himself something to drink and brought it to her. He paused outside her bedroom and gently knocked on the door.

"Hey, Gabriella? Your phone was going off."

She opened the door and he was greeted by the sight of her petite body wrapped tightly in her towel and her damp curls flowing past her shoulders, and his breath caught in his throat.

_You're killing me, woman. What are you doing? _he thought to himself.

"Oh, thanks," she said as she took the phone from him. She turned to walk back into the room, checking her phone on the way, and left the door open. Troy nervously crossed the threshold to enter the room and sat on the edge of her bed as Gabriella read the text that she just received.

"Oh, man. I've got to hurry. Isaac just texted and said that he's on his way."

Troy rolled his eyes and smirked as he tried to keep an open mind about their situation. "Geez, can the guy just not pick up the phone and call you? Is he that unable to actually talk to you?"

"What time is it?" she called out to Troy from within the bathroom, clearly ignoring his question.

"Um... 5:45," he told her. "Is this the same guy you were _texting_ last night?" he asked with his voice laced with annoyance.

"Yes, and for your information, Mr. Attitude, we were trying not to disturb you while you were working on your paper. I told him to text."

"What's he going to do tonight over dinner, text you through the whole conversation?" he practically grumbled.

"What?" Gabriella emerged from the bathroom with her makeup done and her still damp hair pulled back loosley with bobby pins. She gave him a look over her shoulder as she walked to her dresser and pulled out her black lacy bra and matching panties. He watched her and narrowed his eyes.

"Um, you're wearing _those_ tonight?"

A hint of concern caught Gabriella's attention but didn't stop her from continuing to dress.

"Yeah, why?" she told him as she walked into her closet.

"No reason..." His mind went back to the night the two of them made love for the first time. He found himself having to shift his position on the bed as he remembered that night and the fact that she was wearing that exact matching set of underwear with such clarity.

"I know what your problem is," she called out to him.

"You do?" he called back, mentally panicking as he thought she was talking about the lingerie.

"Yeah. It's because you don't know what we're saying when we text. That's it, isn't it?" She raised her voice a tiny bit to be heard from within the closet.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, confused.

"When someone calls me, you hear half of the conversation and can figure out what's being said. But when I'm texting someone... it just makes you jealous, doesn't it?"

"Honestly?" Troy was slightly taken aback. Did she think that he _wouldn't_ be jealous? He stood from the bed and walked to lean on the door frame of the closet, taking in the appearance of her in nothing but her underwear as she stood there with her hand on her hip as if nothing had changed between them. "Yeah, it does. Just knowing that you're texting with another guy? Yeah, I'm jealous, Brie."

"Troy, we've talked about this. Why does it bother you so much that I'm talking to other people?"

He had to stop and think about what he wanted to say. _Why does it bother me? Does she not know the answer to that question already? Isn't it obvious? Doesn't it bother her?_

"Not just other people, Brie. Other guys. And it bothers me because I know what kind of texts _we_ have shared many times. When I see you smile at a text from another guy, I'm not going to lie, it pisses me off."

The two stood there in silence- Troy waiting for her to say something and Gabriella unsure of what to say to get past Troy's comment. Both were aware of the awkwardness of the situation. The tension was thick- they could both feel it and if one of them had it knife, if probably wouldn't be in existence anymore because it would be cut it in half- but neither knew how to move beyond it. As much as Troy wanted to take advantage of the moment- as much as he wanted to remind her of the sexy texts they had shared and what her black lacy underwear truly made him remember- he couldn't bring himself to force the issue with her.

Their silence was broken by a knock at the door.

"Crap," Gabriella said as she stuck her head out of the closet to glance at the clock. "That's Isaac. Would you get that so I can get dressed?" Troy didn't move, but just kept looking at her and crossed his arms across his chest. Gabriella rolled her eyes and sighed as she tilted her head and looked at him. "Troy, please?" she asked softly. "I know this is hard for you, but haven't you always been the one to tell me that you want me to follow my heart and do what I feel is right?" Without a response from him, she continued. "Well, how am I going to know what feels right if I don't go through this phase of my life?"

"So this _is_ just a phase then?" he whispered. Any other time, if he had heard that line come from any other guy, he would have made fun of the guy's masculinity. In this moment, however, he didn't care. He just needed some ray of hope from Gabriella, a clue of some sort. She saw the emotions in his eyes and reached up to run her fingers through his hair.

"Yes?... No?... I wish I knew what to tell you to make this easier for you." She sighed when a second knock was heard, breaking their moment.

Troy let his eyes wander down her body before landing on the tips of her toes. "Finish getting ready. I've got that," he mumbled, without looking up, as he pushed himself off the door frame and left the bedroom.

"Thank you," she told him as he shut the door behind him, smirking as he took his polo shirt off and tossed it in his room.

_Two can play at that game. _Troy's action was intentionally unintentional as he made his way down the hall, shirtless.

**TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF**

Troy opened the door and was greeted by a familiar-looking man who he could only assume was Gabriella's date for the evening. The man on the other side was wearing a pair of gray slacks, a yellow button down shirt, a red tie, and a gray sports jacket.

_This dude looks like a McDonald's sign_, he thought, twitching his mouth to keep from laughing.

"Hey, man, I'm Troy," he said, without smiling, yet still holding a hand out to greet their guest.

"Um, hi. I'm Isaac. Is um, is Gabriella here?" Isaac asked, slightly confused before remembering that Gabriella's roommate was male. Isaac shook Troy's hand weakly, wondering why the roommate was shirtless and look like a virtual body builder.

_Why is he half dressed? _Isaac wondered.

"Yeah, she's in her room finishing getting ready. She won't be but just another few minutes. Why don't you come in?" Troy opened the door wider and allowed Isaac to enter the apartment. "Would you like a beer while you wait?" Troy asked as he walked towards the kitchen.

"No, thank you. I don't drink."

"Oh, that's too bad," Troy smirked with his head in the refrigerator as he reached in for a beer. _I'm sure Gabriella will have a great time on her date tonight_, he thought to himself, knowing that she always enjoyed at least one glass of wine with dinner. He emerged from the kitchen and spotted Isaac walking around the living room area looking at the pictures that were displayed. Troy watched with satisfaction as Isaac picked up the New Year's Eve picture that showed Troy and Gabriella kissing.

"So you and Gabriella...?" Isaac started.

"Yeah?" Troy prompted him.

"Are you two...?"

"Are we what?" Troy asked, as he took a sip from his beer and watched Isaac make a face at the picture.

"Well, obviously you two are-"

"Hey, Isaac. Sorry I kept you waiting." The two guys turned to face Gabriella as she announced her presence in the room.

Isaac quickly placed the picture frame back on the table with a slight thud. Gabriella watched his nervousness and then smiled at him gently before realizing which picture he had been holding.

Troy noticed that instead of dressing up as Isaac had, she had opted for a pair of skinny jeans, a fitted strapless top, and gladiator heels. While he himself fought hard to hide his obvious appreciation of her appearance, he couldn't help but notice out of the corner of his eye how Isaac's eyes widened. But in what emotion, Troy wasn't sure.

"Um, no. It's not a problem at all. Your um, your... Troy was just about to tell me an interesting anecdote about this picture," Isaac told her as he pointed at the picture that he just had in his hands.

"Was he?" Gabriella turned her eyes to Troy, who was still admiring her choice of clothing. "Well, actually, if you'd excuse us for just a second, we'll be right back. Um, Troy, I can't reach my green purse. Would you help me get it from the top of my closet?" she asked hurriedly, as she grasped Troy's bicep and pulled him into her bedroom. Inside the room, she let go of his arm and crossed her own arms over her chest. Troy looked around, almost amused, to see all of the purses she owned laid out on her bed.

"Your green purse is right here. What did you need-"

"What in the hell do you think you're doing?" she spat out at him in an angry whisper.

"What are you talking about?" he asked. He followed her gaze up and down his torso and realized that she was talking about the fact that he wasn't wearing a shirt. "Oh, this? Yeah, I spilled something on my shirt. Can I not walk around _our_ _apartment_ without a shirt on anymore?"

"What did you spill on it? Your ego?" Troy looked at her with shock and confusion written on his face and she rolled her eyes. "Oh, please, Troy! You hate that I'm going out with other guys and you're doing everything you can to sabotage my date!" she accused.

"No, I'm not! I let him in, shook his hand, and even offered him a beer. He asked me about the picture from New Year's that's in the living room. I was about to answer his question when you rudely jerked me away. Now if you'll excuse me,I believe we're being rude to _your_ date." He turned to walk out of her room when she stopped him.

"Your game's not going to work, Troy!"

He stopped and turned to look at her. "I don't know what you're talking about, Gabriella. The only 'games' _I_ play are on the court. I hope you have a good time on your _date_." He took a swig of his beer and turned on his heel, walking into his bedroom and shutting the door behind him. Gabriella sighed as she picked up her black purse off the bed and left her room, going back into the living room to face Isaac again.

"Ok," she huffed slightly. "I'm ready now. I'm sorry about that," she apologized.

"No," Isaac's face still showed his nervousness as he looked over her outfit. "It's no big deal at all. I thought you were getting your green purse?"

_Really, dude? You care what color purse I carry? _she thought to herself. "Uh, yeah. The green one didn't match after all. Are you ready?"

Gabriella opened the door and gave a look back in the direction of Troy's bedroom. She released a sigh and walked out the door with Isaac following behind.


	16. Feelings of Normalcy

**Hello, my dear readers! Good news and bad news. Which do you want first? The bad? Okay, well, this story is almost over... but the good news is that it's not almost over for you guys! For me, the writer. I only have about one, maybe two more chapters to write and then it's done. Once I get to that point, I can upload a new chapter more often than I am now. I do apologize that it's taking me so long, but I thank you for your patience. To those who are still out there reading and reviewing, please don't give up on me! The reviews are still great to receive and believe it or not, they really keep me going! Anyway, without further adieu (please forgive me if I misspelled that. It's been a looooong time since I spoke- much less wrote- French!), here's chapter 16!**

**Chapter 16**

Troy watched as the woman he loved walked out the door with another man- if you could even call him that; he was more a weakling in Troy's opinion- and when the door closed, he took a long sip from the bottle he held in his hands. He turned and walked down the hall into his room and looked around. When his eyes landed on the closed closet door, he took another sip from his Sam Adams- as if seeking strength from the amber liquid inside. He took a few slow steps toward the door and turned the handle to open it, stepped inside, and lowered himself to sit on the floor.

Troy set the bottle on the top of the shoebox that was to his right and leaned over, reaching for the red duffel bag that sat in the back corner, hidden behind his three feet tall, sectional laundry basket. He hid his one physical treasure in this bag knowing it was the one place that Gabriella wouldn't look. The only time she touched any of his basketball gear was when he gave her his dirty practice clothes or his game uniform to be washed. Troy knew that she never went through his high school basketball bag, which is why he knew it would be safe in there.

He unzipped the bag and reached in, feeling around blindly until he found the left shoe that was last worn during the season of his senior year at East High School. He held the shoe upside down in the air and let the item that was tucked in the toe fall out into his open palm.

As Troy opened the small velvet box and pulled out the modest ring, he sighed as he let his mind travel back to the day he got it six months prior:

_It was Fall Break for the two schools. Gabriella had traveled to Washington, D.C. with the Student Government to visit the office of the California Senator, leaving Troy to work a few shifts at the restaurant and focus on conditioning for the upcoming season which was due to start after the break. The mother of his girlfriend had called him, inviting him to dinner at her house one evening over the break. He was going to decline at first, but was soon persuaded by the offer of brownies. _

_After dinner, Maria fixed two plates of brownies that she warmed in the microwave with a scoop each of vanilla bean ice cream and two glasses of milk. She set hers down and excused herself once again and gave Troy a hug from behind as she passed by and told Troy that she would be right back, followed by a kiss to his cheek. When she returned to the table, she sat down in her seat and took a bite of her brownie before speaking._

"_Troy, I know I'm the one that asked you here this evening to get you out of the apartment for some actual cooking while Brie was gone, but I can't help but feel like there's something on your mind."_

_Troy's eyes grew wide. "Uh, w- well, Maria, th- there um-" he stammered, and paused to take a bite of his brownie, washed it down with a sip of milk, and cleared his throat. "There kind of is. I um, I really don't know how to start this as I've never had to say it before, but there is something I wanted to talk to you about tonight."_

_Maria watched and listened as the boy that she met almost five years ago turned to a man before her eyes. He started speaking his heart to the woman who had never made him nervous before in the past, but was currently making him so incredibly scared that he was glad that it was just Maria and not Maria sitting next to Gabriella's late father. He could only imagine how he would feel if he had to face him, too!_

"_Maria, it's no secret that Gabriella has the next five years all mapped out. To be honest with you, I do, too. But the difference in our plans is that mine is transferable. I can go anywhere for my next five years to work the way I want them to. I want Gabriella's to work for her wherever she needs to be for them to work. I want to do everything in my power to make her dreams come true. I want to be beside her to watch everything fall into place for her, whether it be her five year plan or her fifty year plan."_

"_I admire that about you, Troy. But if you're taking this conversation where I think you are, you're going to have to be more specific in your speech," she said with a raised eyebrow. It was only because of the gleam in her eyes that Troy's nerves were calmed. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly before speaking again._

"_Maria, I want to ask for your blessing in asking Gabriella to marry me." Troy paused, watching Maria's face carefully, and then continued in a rush. "I want to wait until after we graduate, of course. I mean, I know that being engaged while in school is-"_

"_Troy? Troy, Sweetie, calm down and let me talk, okay?" Maria smiled when Troy blushed and lowered his eyes to look at his plate, taking a bite of his brownie. "I'm so glad that you came into Briella's life when you did- at a time when she truly needed a friend and needed someone other than me in her life. I've really enjoyed watching the two you grow into adults and grow closer together in the process. She's a better person when she's with you."_

"_As am I," Troy said as he brought his face up from his plate and looked deep in Maria's eyes. "I love her, Maria."_

"_I know you do, Troy." Maria paused, and brought her fist up from her lap to rest on top of the table. "__This-" she paused as her voice caught in her throat. "I'm sorry," she told him as she wiped at a few unexpected tears as they escaped from the corners of her eyes and cleared her throat. She opened her palm, revealing the most beautiful diamond ring that Troy had ever seen. "This is the ring that Gabriel gave me when he proposed almost twenty-five years ago. Gabriella found it when she was eleven and asked me if she could have it one day. I swore to myself then that- if it was wanted by him- it would be the ring that her future husband should give to her. So Troy, will Gabriel be a part of your life with Gabriella symbolically, as well as in your hearts like I know he already is?" Maria held the ring out for Troy to take so he could get a closer look._

"_Wow," Troy breathed as he examined the ring. "Maria, that's... wow. I'm- I'm sorry, I don't know what to say. This ring is absolutely beautiful. I- I can... I can almost see it on Gabriella's finger." Troy shook himself from his reverie and looked at Maria. "I want to pay you for it. Can we go tomorrow to get it appraised?"_

"_Troy, you don't have to-"_

"_Maria, I know I don't have to, but it only makes sense. I've been saving up since this past summer to buy her a ring anyway, so why not buy this one from you? It certainly will take all the stress out of my life that shopping for one would bring!"_

_Maria grinned at his joke. "Honey, take it as my way of letting you know that I love you both, and I trust that you'll take care of my daughter. I appreciate what you've done for her already and I know that you both love each other. Don't ever forget that."_

Troy shook himself back to the present and tucked the ring back into its hiding place. He swallowed the last half of his beer in three gulps and forced the lump back down his throat. After making sure the shoe and bag were put back in their proper hiding places, he forced himself to leave the closet and walked back into the kitchen to get another beer. He then settled himself back on the couch and picked up his laptop with the sole intent of loosing himself in the world of psychology on working on his research paper. If he couldn't solve his own problems, maybe he could solve the problems of his case study.

**TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF**

"Thank you, Isaac. I had a good time tonight," Gabriella said as she climbed out of the car and shut the door behind her.

_Don't get out. Don't get out. Don't get out,_ she chanted to herself, only to sigh in defeat when the engine of the car was turned off behind her and Isaac got out and rushed to her side, gently placing his hand on the small of her back as he walked beside her to the door of the apartment. She fought hard to not cringe at his touch.

It wasn't that Gabriella didn't have a good time on this date. It was just that Isaac was too... well, he just wasn't her type and she couldn't wait for the date to be over. All she wanted to do was put on her comfy pajamas and climb into bed and pull the covers way up over her head. Just five more minutes and she'll be in the comfort of the apartment...

She stopped in front of the door and took a deep breath and let it out slowly before she turned to face Isaac.

"I really did have a good time tonight. That restaurant was amazing. I'll have to go there again with a friend of mine," she told him, referring to the Greek restaurant that Isaac took her to.

"I thought you might like it, with your heritage and all."

_I'm not Greek, you moron!_ she mentally screamed.

"Well, I'm... glad you thought of that," she told him, trying hard to cover her annoyance and not roll her eyes. She managed to recover and placed a hand on his bicep, only to be taken by how puny it felt.

_Man, Troy's biceps are rocks compared to his! Geez, dude, gym much?_ Gabriella couldn't help but think back to all the many times that she's grasped onto Troy's biceps in the past: posing for pictures, holding on to them as he picked her up and spun her around in the air, when she would touch his arm trying to get his attention, and- her personal favorite- the way he held his weight on his forearms as he hovered above her when they were making love and his muscles would flex on their own... Her mental list went on and on.

"Thank you again for tonight," she continued, as she gave a very slight shake of her head, trying to clear it of any thoughts of Troy's body being held precariously above her as they had nothing but a thin sheet wrapped around their naked bodies, "I'll see you next week at church." Gabriella leaned in to give Isaac a hug- only out of obligation- and turned to unlock the door. Once she was safely inside and the wooden barrier was between them, she pressed her ear up against it and listened for the sound of his footsteps going down the stairs. When she was pleased that he was no longer in earshot, she threw her purse in the chair behind her and covered her face, letting out a frustrated groan in the process.

As she slowly brought her hands down from in front of her eyes, she slowly let her eyes scan the living room, taking in the laptop on the floor, the numerous empty beer bottles scattered around, and several balls of crumpled up pieces of paper, and finally the slumped body on the couch. Troy was laying there with his right arm splayed across his eyes and his left arm flung over the side of the couch. His mouth was somewhat open and the slight snoring coming from his mouth told Gabriella that he had been asleep for some time. She snorted softly and shook her head at the sight before pushing herself off the door and walking further into the room.

As she bent to pick up the laptop from the floor, it came to life, bringing up the paper that Troy had been working on. She took a moment to save the document and noticed that there were eight and a half more pages written than what he had earlier in the evening.

"Well, I don't guess I can fuss at you too much about falling asleep while working on your paper. It looks like you've been working hard on it tonight," she told him, even though he couldn't hear her. She powered the laptop down and put it back on the floor and then leaned down to pick up the empty Sam Adams bottles- four, she counted as she rolled her eyes- and walked into the kitchen to throw them away as she heard moaning behind her. She dumped the bottles in the recycle bin and turned around in time to see Troy shifting his position on the couch and had to stifle her laughter when he let out another snore, this one louder than the others. Gabriella rolled her eyes and walked into her bedroom, only to return with her red Stanford blanket which she kept on her bed, and used it to softly cover Troy's body.

She stood and crossed her arms, watching him for a moment before she shook her head.

"We are really messed up, aren't we?" she asked him, knowing that in his slightly-yet-not-quite inebriated sleep state, he wouldn't hear her. She let the moment pass and started to walk off in the direction of her bedroom, only to pause halfway down the hall when she heard his voice call out to her.

"I love you." Gabriella looked over her shoulder in Troy's direction.

"I know," she said softly. "And I love you, too."

"Then why are you going out with other guys?" he asked.

Gabriella turned and slowly started walking back in the direction of the living room. "Troy, you know why," she said with a shake of her head. "We can't keep going over this."

She watched as he started rubbing his eyes and sat up. He turned his head to spot her leaning against the wall next to the couch and moved his feet to give her room to sit down.

"When did you get home?" he asked.

"About five or ten minutes ago," she told him as she sat down next to him. She turned so she was leaning against the arm of the couch and Troy mimicked her actions, making the two of them to face each other. "You've been working hard," she commented, nodding her head in the direction of the computer that sat on the floor.

"It got to the point where everything in my head was turning to mush. I'm not sure how much sense I was making there at the end. It was either I stop, or fall asleep with my head on the keyboard and have about a hundred lines of random letters. I hope to wrap it up tomorrow when I can concentrate more. Which reminds me... will you take a look at it when I'm done?"

"Of course," Gabriella said with a nod. The two sat in silence for a moment with Troy watching Gabriella closely while she tried to avoid his gaze, becoming uncomfortable- when did their silence become an uncomfortable one?- before he spoke again.

"How was your date?" he asked with a yawn.

Gabriella looked at Troy, shocked at his sudden interest, before lowering her gaze to her lap and playing with an imaginary string on her jeans. "It was, um..." She allowed her voice to trail off as she furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, searching for the right word. "...interesting."

"Interesting?"

"Yeah," she confirmed.

After another moment of silence, Troy spoke again. He knew his next question would probably upset Gabriella, but the part of him that was still in love with her just had to know. "Did this guy treat you right? He seemed like some stiff, stuck-up, holier than thou, kinda guy when he came to pick you up."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I mean, he barely shook my hand and he looked at me like I was practically naked. And when he saw the picture of us kissing-" he pointed across the room at the picture that Isaac was looking at earlier in the evening "-I thought he was gonna blow a gasket."

"Well, he means well, but you've got him pegged, I'm afraid."

"Did he hurt you, Brie? Cause if he did I'll go kick his ass," Troy told her. Despite their current situation, Gabriella was pleased to hear the protectiveness in his voice. She lowered her head to look at her hands that rested in her lap to hide her slight, almost invisible smile.

"Troy don't be silly," she told him while rolling her eyes.

"I'm not," he insisted. "I'm dead serious. Did he hurt you?" he asked, with a little more force.

"Troy... No, not physically," she told him with a slight shake of her head, bringing her head up so their eyes met. "He may have hurt my feelings a little bit..." she said, allowing her voice to trail off. "Hey, where are you going?"

Gabriella asked, watching as Troy pushed the blanket off his legs and started to sit up.

"I told you, no one hurts my Brie and gets away with it."

"Would you stop it?" she said, as she put her hands on his bicep- ignoring the feelings she felt in her core- and pulled him back down on the couch. "He's just... I don't know ... a little more religious and subtly condescending than I would normally prefer."

Troy looked in her eyes and saw no signs of physical pain, so he settled himself back down on the couch and she continued talking.

"What kind of stuff did he say to you?" he asked, his tone softening to show his care and concern.

"We saw another woman walk in the restaurant and she was wearing a strapless top, but didn't have a jacket on like I did and he just kept talking about how women shouldn't dress that way and how it's 'too revealing' and kept giving me this _look_ while he was saying it. Then when I started to eat when the food came, he just stared at me and asked me if I wasn't going to wait for us to pray first. When I ordered wine, he just looked at me with wide eyes and made me feel... like I was sinning or something. I don't know, Troy. It was just the little things that he said or did."

Gabriella saw the look in Troy's eyes. She knew the look in Troy's eyes. It was the same look he got when he was fighting hard to keep his temper hidden.

"Troy I'm fine," she rushed on, trying to keep him calm. "It's just words. I don't have to go out with him again. Don't worry about it. Besides, how many beers have you had? The last thing either of us needs is for you to leave here half drunk and wind up getting hurt."

"I only had four so I'm perfectly fi- Hey, wait... you think that Isaac guy can hurt me?" Troy asked in total disbelief.

Gabriella laughed a little as she remembered how scrawny Isaac's biceps felt after so many years of feeling Troy's in various circumstances. "Oh, no, believe me, Wildcat. I'm quite sure you can take him. But there's no need to. I'm fine. I'm right here and fine."

"Damn right you are," he told her. Troy gave a little yawn as he snuggled back down into the couch cushions, propped his feet up in Gabriella's lap, and pulled the blanket back up under his chin. "Right here, at home, with me. Where you belong."

"Hey, why don't you go on and get in the bed? You're back will hurt tomorrow if you sleep out here on the couch and you know it," she told him as she reached forward and poked him in the stomach.

"I'll be fine. Besides, I'm already comfy," he said. His voice started trailing off as his body was already being overtaken by sleep once again.

Gabriella reached up and brushed his hair off his forehead. "Good night, Troy," she whispered. With one last look at him, she lifted his feet off her lap, gently set them back down on the couch as she stood up, and watched as he repositioned himself- gently pulling the blanket further up under his chin- before she turned and walked back down the hall to her own bedroom and shut the door behind her.


	17. Trust Issues

**Good news, everyone. It's been an incredibly long journey, but I have finally finished writing this story! That means that the updates will start coming more often. In the meantime, here's the next chapter in the Troy and Gabriella saga. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 17: Trust Issues**

The next few days passed quickly for the two, with Troy finishing and turning in his paper and working a few shifts at the restaurant while Gabriella spent a majority of her days in the library preparing for the rapidly approaching LSATs that she was scheduled to take in two weeks. Classes were back in session for both seniors and that meant graduation was just around the corner. On this particular day, however, neither of them was focused on that.

Gabriella was once again in the library, meeting with her study group... Davis included. As they were concluding and all going their separate ways, Davis called out to her.

"Gabi! Do you have a minute?"

"Um," she started, pausing to look at her watch. "Yeah, I guess I do. I was actually going to stop by my mom's on the way home, but I've got a minute or two. What can I do for you?"

"Well, I was just wondering how you were doing lately?"

"I'm doing fine," she spoke, as she rummaged through her purse for her keys. "Why?"

"Well, I heard from Andy that you and Troy had-"

"We're fine," Gabriella interrupted in a rush, giving Davis a pointed look, silently letting him know that she didn't want to talk about it. "We're just taking some time to slow down and concentrate on finishing school."

"Uh-huh," Davis said with a slow nod, not believing the excuse she was giving him. "Anyway, I was wondering if you..." He allowed his voice to trail off while reaching up to rub the back of his neck, letting his nerves get the better of him.

Gabriella pushed the obvious similarity between Davis and Troy from her mind as she raised her eyebrows and gave him a small encouraging smile. "If I what?"

"...wanted to go out with me again sometime," he finally got out in a rush.

"Oh." She allowed her smile to falter just a little bit, knowing that when it was all said and done, he was ultimately one of the reasons why this whole mess with Troy started to begin with. "Well, um... You know what, Davis? I'd like that. And I would stay and talk about this more right now, but I've got to go. My mom's expecting me. Why don't you give me a call and we'll work everything out?" Once he agreed, she left the library and made her way to her mom's townhouse.

**TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF**

Troy Bolton had accomplished the near impossible. He couldn't believe it. He'd worked all semester for this. This particular professor was known for being a hard-ass on all her students and if you got an A on any of her assignments, that was practically the equivalent to winning valedictorian of your high school graduating class. He had done it and he couldn't believe it.

When he got home after work that evening, he spotted her car in the parking lot and couldn't wait to get inside and share his news with Gabriella. Troy let himself in the apartment and called out her name.

"Gabriella?"

"In my room," he heard in response.

Troy practically ran down the hall and into her room. As soon as he tore through the door and spotted her standing from her desk chair and stretching- which he was not surprised to see was littered with notebooks, textbooks, her computer, and various pens and highlighters- and turning to face him, he threw his paper and backpack down on the bed and rushed across the room to stand in front of her. He wrapped his arms around her, picking her up and twirling her around in the process. Gabriella shrieked and was completely startled at first, but wasn't surprised when she found comfort in his arms and started laughing.

"Troy, put me down!" she said in between her fits of giggles and pushed on his chest to try and loosen the hold he had on her so she could stand on her own two feet. "What are you doing? What has you so excited?"

He finally put her down and picked up his paper as they both struggled to catch their breaths. "I got an A on it!"

"I'm not following you, Hon. On what?" she asked, with a shake of her head.

Troy turned the paper so she could see it more clearly. "The biggest project of the year and I got an A on it!" he told her, hitting the front of the document protector.

Gabriella's jaw dropped and eyes widened as she spotted the red letter. "Troy, that's amazing!" She grinned as she threw her arms around his neck with all the intent to just give him a big, friendly hug.

However, all intentions flew out the window when Troy pulled back and looked into her eyes. Gabriella noticed the change in color- from the overly excited and childlike cornflower blue to the serious cerulean blue. She had seen all the different shades of Troy's blue eyes, and these were two of her favorites for different reasons.

"I couldn't have done it without you. You know that, don't you?" Troy looked even deeper into her eyes and reached up to gently brush a lone curl that had fallen from her messy ponytail back behind her ear. "I always do better when you help me. Having your support...it means the world to me, Gabriella. I love you." Troy leaned down and gently- almost tentatively even- kissed her.

Her heart and her body... they were both telling her that this kiss was right. Gabriella didn't fight it like her mind was telling her. Instead she responded. She got lost in the feeling of his arms wrapped around her and his lips on hers again. If she were honest with herself, she missed his kisses. That's why she instinctively reached a hand up to clutch to the back of his neck, holding him closer, and ran her fingers through his hair.

Troy noticed the positive response and fought hard to take things slowly. After a moment, however, when he felt her angle her head to the side and run her tongue along his lower lip to allow the kiss to deepen, his hormones got the better of him and he felt himself get more eager. He opened his mouth to let his tongue come out and brush against hers as he took it upon himself to push further. He reached down to grasp the hem of her top and started to pull it up slowly, savoring even the slightest touch of his fingers against her skin... but mentally kicked himself when her voice brought him back to the present.

"Troy," she started in a breathless, near whisper, "we can't...I can't."

"Yes, you can, Brie." He rested his forehead against hers, his eyelids heavy under the weight of simply having her in his arms again. He refused to give up the burning sensation of holding her body under the material of her thin top. "You can celebrate with me, the way we're supposed to." Gabriella started shaking her head, but felt Troy's hands move from her sides up to her cheeks, forcing her to look at him as he gently held her face steady. He swallowed deeply to force himself to hold his emotions in and not let her see his vulnerability. "Yes, you _can_. Let me make love to you. I miss you so much. It's killing me, not sleeping with you at night. I love you, you love me. You know you do. Stop this craziness, Brie. Stop going out with these other guys. I'm right here." Troy pulled back slightly and held his arms out wide. "I'm the one you want to be with and you know it."

Gabriella started pushing on his chest firmly, trying to put more physical distance between them. Her tears started to slowly fall during his speech, but now they were falling harder and she was having a hard time making them stop.

"It's not craziness, Troy. I have a lot to think about regarding my future..."

She pushed her way fully out of his arms and sat back down in her chair, leaving him standing there watching her bring her hands up to cover her eyes as her body was wracked with sobs. While his heart was breaking watching her like this, he was silently fuming over the fact that she was still playing this game.

"Damn it, Brie!" he started, fighting to keep his voice even and not let his anger get the better of him. "It's not just _your_ future at stake here! It's mine too! What about _our_ future, Gabriella? What about _us_?"

She didn't answer; she couldn't. Troy just looked at her, shook his head, and slowly backed away from her. He picked up his paper and crumpled it, tossing it in the trash can by her desk on his way out the door, and slammed it shut behind him, causing Gabriella to jump in her seat at the noise.

He walked into the living room and over to the bookcase where where he picked up the New Year's Eve picture that Isaac had noticed before his date with Gabriella two days prior. Before he could grasp it, the slick wood slipped out of his hand and crashed to the floor, breaking the glass in the process. He let out a loud, frustrated groan- along with a few of his hidden tears- as he bent down to clean it up, only to have one of the pieces of the glass cut into his hand, causing blood to appear on his left palm.

"Damnit!" he barked with a strained voice as he placed the glass back on top of the picture frame and left the mess sitting on the floor.

Gabriella stood from her spot in her bedroom when she heard the crash and outburst from the other room. In the middle of her own confusion she didn't quite recognize her ex-boyfriend's tone or attitude. Quietly, tentatively, she made her way to the living room.

"Troy?" she called out through her cracking voice. "Where are you?"

"In here."

Her ears perked up at the sound of the scratchy, monotone voice as she spotted him standing at the kitchen counter with the medicine cabinet open in front of him and the Band Aid box and Neosporin sitting on the counter.

"What happened?" she asked him.

"Cut my hand." The fact that he had yet to look at her wasn't lost on her. Gabriella lowered her eyes to look at her feet and cringed when she heard the cabinet door slam shut. When she lifted her eyes, Troy wasn't standing in front of her anymore. She turned to find him bent over and digging through the closet by the door.

"Where are you going?" she asked as her voice shook under the weight of a new batch of tears. She could do little more than wrap her arms around herself when he stood, closed the closet door, and opened the door to their apartment.

He paused in the threshold and turned his steely gaze at her. "Gym," he told her as he walked out the door. Gabriella had never seen his eyes hold so much ice- especially not directed at her- and flinched when the door slammed shut behind him.

Unable to stay in the empty living room, Gabriella turned and walked back into her room and sat back down in her desk chair. As she looked around her room, her eyes landed on the trash can and the crumbled up paper that Troy had been so proud of. He had worked hard to earn this grade and she knew he would want to keep it. She pulled it out and spread it out on her desk top, carefully pressing her hands across it to attempt to remove all the tiny wrinkles. A few tears dripped from her eyes and down her cheeks while she worked. She looked at the title page and saw the big "A" written in red across the middle. She smiled to herself and started reading the comments that the professor had written across the bottom portion of the page:

_Troy, this was a wonderful take on this topic. To be honest with you, when you first approached me about making this paper "real"- as you put it- I was hesitant. However, I gave you the go-ahead on doing so because I was curious as to how you would handle it and which direction you would take it. It was very interesting the way you brought all of your points together using this one person. I really enjoyed reading this paper. Good luck to you in your future endeavors with graduate school. The psychology department at the University of New Mexico will be very lucky to have you!_

"Graduate school?" she blinked and re-read the last sentence, shaking her head in confusion. "UNM? I knew he had been thinking about it, but has he been accepted? Has he decided? Why hasn't he told me this?"

Gabriella thought back to the kiss they shared just moments before and realized that maybe Troy had wanted to share other celebratory news with her. Was his graduate school decision another kiss they would have – should have - shared? Would she ever celebrate that way with someone else…with a Davis, or an Isaac? Then she thought of something else. Those few moments with Troy had ignited her body and heart. And she had to admit, she hadn't felt that... that _spark_ with any other guy.

_But do I want to?_ she asked herself, furrowing her eyebrows in deep thought.

She knew that she was hurting Troy. She had spent all this time trying to figure out her future but she'd never really thought about how it would affect his. They had always talked about attending graduate school as close together as possible; had he made that decision already? Had he made his decision without her... in spite of her... because of her selfish reasons for the breakup? And to New Mexico? Where did that leave her? UNM wasn't on her list of considerations for law school and he knew that. Had he decided to go back home without her after he graduated? And why hadn't he talked to her about this? Had he made the decision after their breakup? Was this Troy's way of telling her that he accepted her offer to really separate for a while?

_Surely he wouldn't give up that easily. The way he just kissed me… What about his so-called __**plan **__for our future? _she wondered.

He always said to trust him whenever they discussed marriage. Did he really have a plan? If so, what did all of this mean for said plan? And what did this mean for their future together? Did they still have a future together? But wait... did _she_ still want a future with Troy?

All of these unanswered questions were only accomplishing one thing: getting her more upset the more she thought about it. Just as she felt a fresh batch of tears fill her eyes, her phone rang. Gabriella quickly sniffled and reached into her bag that was sitting on the floor beside her desk and pulled her phone out, answering without looking at the name and number that showed up on the screen.

"Hello?" she said, her voice still scratchy from her emotions and the earlier confrontation with Troy.

"_Gabi? It's Davis."_

"Davis, hi!" Gabriella paused to clear her throat.

"_Are you okay? You sound upset about something. Was I interrupting anything?"_

"What? Oh, no! No. You're fine. I was um... I was doing some studying and hadn't talked since I left the library," she lied. "You know how it is when you don't talk for awhile- your throat gets all dry," she told him with a forced laugh. "Actually, I do need some water."

"_Right."_ Davis wasn't too sure if he believed her or not, but decided to not push the issue. _"Well, I was actually calling to set up our date that we talked about at the library earlier. Are you available tonight, or would tomorrow be better for you?"_

"Well, actually-" Gabriella started, but stopped herself. _What do I have to lose if I go tonight? If I don't go, I'll never know. It's not like Troy and I will be doing anything... _"-tonight would be perfect."

"_Great! Why don't I pick you up at six and we can head downtown into San Francisco and just let the evening happen as it does? We can start at Fisherman's Wharf and get something to eat, ride the cable cars to North Beach for dessert, to go Telegraph Hill and take in the view from Coit Tower..."_

Listening to Davis speak about the plans for their date reminded Gabriella of an evening she and Troy spent out on the town the summer before their freshman year. He and his parents made the trip for Troy's Freshman Orientation and made the two day journey into a week-long vacation with Maria insisting that they stay with her and Gabriella for the week. When Troy's required overnight stay in the dorms was completed and he returned to the Montez house, he and Gabriella escaped from the house and traveled the thirty-five minutes to downtown San Francisco.

The events that Davis was suggesting to Gabriella were almost the exact same as what she and Troy did on that evening. She tried to push that memory aside, however, and focus on what Davis was saying.

"_...and then of course take a walk across the Golden Gate before I bring you home. What do you say?"_

"That sounds..." she paused to swallow, trying to not let her memories make themselves known. "That sounds great. Six o'clock, you said?"

"_Yeah. Is that okay with you?"_

"Perfect. I'll see you then."

**TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF**

Troy was fuming during the drive to the gym. He was actually glad- deep down- as an angry work out was usually his best kind of work out. As he reached a red light, he heard his phone ringing and picked it up, glancing at the name on the screen before he answered.

"I was wondering how long it would take you to call me and give me the third degree," he answered.

"_What the hell is going on?" _was the response he heard in his ear.

"I don't know what you're talking about..." Troy teased his friend, attempting to keep his tone light.

"_Don't pull that crap on me, Hoops. You know good and well what I'm talking about."_

Troy sighed, contemplating his answer. "What's the latest that you know?"

"_Well, I haven't talked to The Gabster lately, but the last I heard, she was seriously thinking about stuff."_

"Let's just say that her thinking has lead to a lot of nights alone for me and a lot of nights out for her," Troy told Chad.

"_Aw, man! Are you serious?" _Chad asked, flabbergasted.

"No, I was just jerking your chain," Troy said, rolling his eyes at his friends naivete. "Dude, she broke up with me when I got back from Georgia."

"_Wow,"_ Chad breathed. _"Man, I'm sorry. I wish I knew what to say."_

"Yeah, me, too." Troy turned his truck into the parking lot of the gym and pulled into a space, leaving the vehicle running while he and Chad continued their conversation. "The best part..." he started sarcastically, but stopped, finding himself unable to say the words.

"_Yeah?"_ Chad prompted him.

"The best part of this whole situation is that she said she doesn't want to move out." Troy leaned his head back against the head rest, rubbing his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. "I still have to see her every day."

"_That sucks, man. I thought it was hard when Taylor and I broke up and we're all the way on opposite sides of the country; I can only just imagine what you're going through." _Chad heard Troy's frustrated sigh from the other end of the phone. _"How are you doing? And be honest. Don't give me any of that macho crap you're always handing out to everyone."_

Troy hesitated, wondering if he should tell all to Chad. Then it occurred to him: this was Chad he was talking to. The same Chad that he played superheros with then they were five; the same Chad that he played pranks with on Old Mr. Sanchez when they were nine; the same Chad that he went through the 'awkward middle school stage' with when they were twelve. It was the same Chad that he went through basketball tryouts with when they were fourteen their freshman year of high school and Troy made varsity while Chad didn't. This was also the same Chad that he graduated high school with and had to face not being able to see each other every day for the first time ever in their lives. There was no reason to hold back from telling his best friend and brother his true feelings.

"I feel like I've been punched in the gut. I feel like my heart has been ripped from me. I don't know how I've lasted this past week and a half, seeing her every day, watching her get ready for dates and leave with other guys. It's killing me, Chad. It's truly killing me."

"_So that big project you had for your class that you were stressing over... You told me you were thinking about doing it on your relationship with Gabriella. How did that work for you?"_

Troy let out a soft breath through his nose. "I got an A on it. But that's not the best part. Do you remember Ms. Ward from ninth grade English?"

"_You mean the lady that if you got a C in her class, you may as well have graduated with top honors?" _Chad asked, making sure he was remembering the same teacher.

"Yeah, her. Well, this professor may be Ms. Ward's twin or something. The grading for her class is even worse than Ms. Ward's. To get an A from this teacher is just... just freaking incredible! Better than getting an C from Ms. Ward."

"_Dude, that's awesome! Congratulations!"_

"Thanks," Troy nodded his agreement.

"_But why do I get the impression that there's more to this story?"_

"Well, first, she wrote remarks across the bottom and said that the "...psychology department of the University of New Mexico would be very lucky to have me..." when I start graduate school. When I got back to the apartment-"

"_Wait, UNM? You mean you've decided?"_ Chad asked him, careful to not get too excited just yet. He had a feeling that there was more to the story.

"Not yet," Troy told him. "But I asked her for a letter of recommendation for UNM. Anyway..." he said, trying to get back on topic "...when I got home, I was so pumped over the paper. I went to share my good news with Gabriella and... well... I don't know, man. We started making out and I asked her to make love with me."

Chad released a low whistle. _"Whoa."_

"I don't know what happened. I mean, I was just standing there looking at her and... I don't know. I snapped."

"_Do you want me to come out there for a few days?" _Chad asked with seriousness after a brief pause.

"No," Troy told him. "Would it make me sound gay if I said that yeah, I miss you and want to see you?"

"_Yeah, a little,"_ Chad joked.

"Just four more weeks, right?"

"_I'm planning on coming with Coach and Lucille. I wouldn't miss this day for anything," _Chad said, referencing Troy and Gabriella's quickly approaching graduations. "_Besides, maybe I'll be able to slap some sense in Gabriella while I'm out there."_

"And then I'll be home for yours next semester," Troy reminded him. "You had to go and accept that internship with ESPN, didn't you?" Troy of course was referring to Chad's internship with the cable sports news network. When he discovered a passion for sports broadcasting and declared his major as mass communications- with an emphasis on the mass media side- he worked hard to be chosen for his dream internship. Of course, said internship meant spending an extra semester after his senior year at their offices located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and pushing his graduation date back to the following semester.

"_Hey, man. I'm making connections here, alright? Networking," _Chad said with a smile.

"Have I told you- first of all- congratulations on that, but more importantly, that I'm jealous as hell over that opportunity for you?"

"_Good times, Hoops. Good times,"_ Chad said with a smile. _"But seriously, Troy, I really wish I knew what to tell you. I know it's rough, man. I mean, it's you and Gabriella, you know?"_

"Yeah, I know."

"_Everything will work out. Just hang in there and she'll come around."_

"You promise?" Chad gave a tight lipped smiled when he heard the vulnerability in Troy's voice.

"_As soon as I get a hold of her, yeah. I promise."_

The two life long friends said their good byes and Troy entered the gym, preparing himself for a good, long workout to free his system of all frustrations.

**TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF**

When Troy returned from his workout two and a half hours later, he was met by an eerie silence in the apartment. He assumed Gabriella was home; he had parked next to her car in the parking lot.

"Gabriella?" Despite the earlier events of the afternoon, he was worried when he didn't receive a response. It wasn't like her to go out and not let him know; it was an unspoken agreement between the two- they always told each other when they were going out and to where so they wouldn't worry about each other.

"Gabriella!" he tried again. And again, he didn't get a response.

Troy made his way through the apartment, searching each room for any clue as to her whereabouts. Unable to spot her in the living room, kitchen, or out on the balcony, he made his way to the back part of the apartment. He peeked into her bedroom and didn't see her in there, either. Troy sighed and made his way into his own bedroom. It was there that he spotted something that caught his eye. Laying on his pillow was a purple sheet of paper sitting on top of the research paper that he had thrown away in Gabriella's trash can just hours before.

Troy walked over to his bed and picked both up. While holding the single sheet in his left hand, he started to read the familiar, loopy, scrawl.

_I'm sorry, Wildcat. I do love you. I know you love me. I just need time. Please, just give me time. I wish I knew what I could say to make the situation easier for you._

_I'm going out tonight. I'm not sure when I'll be back. Please try and get some rest._

_Love, _

_Gabriella_

_PS... Good luck in graduate school. I'm sure you'll do amazing things._

Troy was confused by her last line. Never the less, he crumbled the note and threw it across the room and sat down on his bed. He looked at his research paper and re-read the note that his professor had written. _"...The psychology department at the University of New Mexico will be very lucky to have you!"_

Suddenly the post script in Gabriella's note made sense. She obviously read the note from his professor and she assumed he would be attending the University of New Mexico. Troy sighed, knowing that he hadn't shared the latest developments in the Great Graduate School Decision of 2012 with Gabriella.

He had gotten several acceptances within the past few weeks, but with the excitement of the tournament in Georgia and everything that had been going on with Gabriella lately, he hadn't shared them with her. He had applied to universities all across the country. His choices weren't the same schools that Gabriella was applying to, but he had wanted to make sure they could at least be in the same area of the country.

She would be accepted no matter where she applied. Troy smiled at that thought. She was beautiful and brilliant. So far, he had gotten acceptances from New Mexico, Colorado, Oklahoma, North Carolina, and South Carolina. He only hoped they would be blessed with the choices they were given and an opportunity to stay together.

Now all he had to do was decide which one he wanted to attend. Or rather, he had to try and figure out how to fix things with Gabriella and _then_ make his decision according to where she would go for law school.

He thought again about the ring Maria had given him. He thought about the plan he had been devising since the two of them made the trek to colleges in California. Most of all he thought about the dark-haired young woman who was trying her best to slip through his fingers.

Troy was a patient young man. He was trying to keep that in mind as he pictured their potential graduate school locations, a proposal that he was still planning and had yet to give up on, and a future with Gabriella that lasted far beyond college degrees.

He grabbed the note from the trash can and flattened it against his project. He found a pen and wrote out a quick note in response to hers. She would find it on her pillow whenever she got home- hopefully she would take it to heart.

_Trust me, Gabriella, please? I'll give you time, but you've gotta give me that time too. You'll see I'm the man for you. Please, just trust me. I love you with all my heart. -Troy_


	18. A Different Perspective

**Chapter 18**

**_Hello, my sweet readers! Good news for y'all! Now that I am done with the writing and the story is complete, I can update more often! Yay! Enjoy the latest installment!_**

When Gabriella got home that evening after her date with Davis, the first thing she noticed was the silence in their apartment.

_That's odd, _she thought to herself. _Even when he's not home, it's never this quiet. TV... music... something!_

Pushing the issue aside, she walked into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator and took it with her into her room. She kicked off her sandals and collapsed on top of her bed, staring up at her ceiling. She was exhausted. She had a good time on the date going around downtown San Francisco, but she and Davis did a lot of walking and her feet were aching.

She rolled over onto her side and pushed herself up from the bed and went into the bathroom to take out her contacts, wash her face, and brush her teeth. It was then that Gabriella spotted the note taped to her mirror. Her breath caught in her throat and she froze as her brain registered the handwriting; she'd know that almost sloppy- yet still neat in its own way- scrawl anywhere. She pulled the note from the mirror and held it in her hands, reading what it said.

_G,_

_I went out. See you in the morning._

_T_

Gabriella lifted her eyes to stare at her reflection in the mirror and narrowed her eyes at what she saw there. Confusion and envy were evident in her chocolate brown eyes as they stared back at her. So he went out; no big deal, right? But where did he go? Why did he go? And who did he go out with?

_Does he mean out with the guys, or did he go out on a date? If it's a date, why didn't he tell me he had one? And who would he have one with?_

Suddenly the confusion and envy in her eyes were edged out by sadness.

_What does it matter, Gabriella? He's just trying to move on. You've been going out, too. Why can't he?_

Her eyes welled up with unexpected tears and she swallowed the lump that formed along with them, forcing herself to not cry. If she was honest with herself, she would admit that she's really being unfair. It's unfair to expect him to sit at home every night while she went out trying to sort out this mess in her head. But despite all of that, she couldn't help but be hurt over the fact that he was in essence giving up. Was he getting tired of waiting on her? Was he getting bored? The one shred of hope she had through this situation was that he kept fighting for her, he wasn't giving up on her and their relationship. But now- all of a sudden- was he letting her know in his own way that he was done waiting on her to sort it all out?

_There's really nothing you can do about it, Gabriella. Just let it go for now, _she told herself.

With that single thought in her mind, Gabriella continued her get-ready-for-bed routine. As she emerged from the bathroom, she picked up the remote control and snuggled deep under her covers as she turned on the tv and turned it to Nick at Nite, getting lost in the re-runs of whatever sit-com was being shown.

**TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF**

The next few days passed with Troy avoiding Gabriella as much as possible. He'd be sitting in the living room watching tv and she would come in the kitchen to clean it. At that point, he would merely turn off the tv and go into his bedroom- shutting the door behind him- just so he wouldn't have to see her. His days were quickly becoming a routine of hide and hide when it came to being in the apartment around Gabriella. He found that going out at night was a lot easier than sitting around and shutting himself in the bedroom. At least that way he was actually doing something. So that's what he did- he went out.

It started off with just catching a bite to eat with Andy, Nick, and two of the other guys from the team. A bonding, of sorts. It eventually became the other four guys and their girlfriends, with Troy being the only single person there. About a week after they all started getting together, one of the girlfriends brought her cousin- a red head from Sacramento who was a junior at Berkeley- named Brendi.

Troy's first impression of this girl was how striking and yet opposite from Gabriella she looked. While Gabriella had dark hair, dark eyes, an olive complexion, Brendi had red hair, green eyes, and a pale complexion. Both girls were beautiful in Troy's opinion, but there was just that something that Gabriella had that made her absolutely gorgeous. Despite how hard he tried not to, Troy couldn't help but continue to mentally compare Brendi to Gabriella. He knew it was unfair, but his mind was already doing so before he could stop it.

After all the couples broke off into their own bubbles leaving Troy and Brendi to fend for themselves, he turned to her and tried to make polite conversation.

"So Brendi, what are you majoring in?" Troy asked.

"Media Studies," she told him. He was struck by the ever present giggle in her speech when she talked and gave a small inadvertent shiver.

_This girl, delivering the news every night on my tv? Scary..._ he thought to himself as he racked his brain trying to come up with a proper response. He finally just said the most polite thing he could think of.

"Oh."

"It's fascinating, really, how we can all- Hey, look!" she interrupted herself, and pointed across the front of Troy's face- causing him to lean back in his seat- out the window.

"What?" he asked while looking out the window, trying his best to appear interested.

"The top that girl's wearing? I love it. I saw it yesterday at American Eagle. I need to see if I can find it online and order it. I want it in teal. That's my favorite color, by the way. What's yours?"

"Um, red," he answered slowly.

Troy's head was without a doubt spinning at this point trying to keep up with Brendi. She was pretty, yes, but could he deal with her nonstop chatter and her airhead tendencies? Although he wasn't looking for long term at this point. He was merely looking for a distraction and she could provide just the distraction that he was in need of.

Or was he looking at all? That was the one question that he couldn't seem to answer. Part of him wanted to just stick it out and see what would happen with Gabriella, but at the same time, the other part of him didn't want to just sit around all day and night waiting while she was apparently finding a life without him. Brendi's gasp was enough to pull him from his thoughts and force him to focus on what she was saying again.

"Red? That's so cool that that's your favorite color! That's the color of my hair!" she said, her voice holding an annoying shriek.

Troy sighed and rolled his eyes when she wasn't looking. "You don't say?" he said, feigning interest once again.

And so his night went on... Fine tuning his acting skills by pretending to focus on whatever Brendi would say while secretly wishing he was back in his favorite place- his bed with Gabriella wrapped tightly in his arms.

**TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF**

The next day as Davis was leaving his last class of the day, he heard his name being called.

"Davis!"

He turned to look and saw Justin Messer approaching him. Justin was the captain of Stanford's basketball team and shared a class with Davis. The two friends chatted for a minute about the class they just came from and exchanged notes from the lecture before Justin turned the conversation personal.

"So how've you been doing?"

"I'm doing well, man. Thanks for asking," Davis told him.

"Dating anyone yet? Last we talked, you kind of had your eye on someone. How did that turn out for you?" Justin asked him.

"Actually, I've been on a few dates with Gabriella Montez. You know her, right? She was in our political analysis class last spring semester."

"Gabriella Montez, huh?" Justin double checked. "I thought she was dating that guy at Berkeley. Their point guard... what's his name? Bostic?"

"Bolton," Davis corrected him. "Troy Bolton."

"Yeah, that's it," Justin said, nodding his head in agreement. "They're pretty serious, aren't they?" he asked, confused. "What's changed between them?"

"Well, let's just say that things aren't as smooth for them as everyone seems to think."

"So are you guys serious? I mean, if she has a thing for ball players, maybe I'd have a shot with her. I've always wondered how she would be, if you know what I mean," he said, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"Well, I wouldn't call her 'easy' by any means," Davis said with a slight pout. "But go ahead, man. I mean, we're not exclusive, so why not?" Davis encouraged. "Do you have her number?"

"I'm sure I can find it in the student directory."

"Here, let me give it to you." Davis pulled his phone from his pocket and searched through his contacts list until he found Gabriella's number. He turned the phone around so Justin could see it and store it in his own phone.

"Thanks, Davis. I appreciate it. I'll give her a call tonight."

"Good luck, man."

The two class mates said their good byes and went their separate ways, Justin with a smirk on his face over this new nugget of information. He made his way to the gym for practice, deciding to wait until later that evening to give her a call.

**TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF**

On the rare occasion when they were home at the same time, the two sat in the living room- Gabriella on the couch and Troy at the desk- with their books open in front of them, both lost in their own worlds. Such was the case on this particular evening. The television was on, but more so for background noise. Neither was paying attention to it. Gabriella had just completed a section of the practice test from her LSAT study guide and was about to check her answers when the cordless phone rang. Troy- who was sitting closest to it- leaned back in his chair and stretched his arms behind him and grabbed it from the table where it sat charging on the base.

"Hello?" he answered.

"_Hey, um... Sorry. I must have dialed the wrong number. Is this 759-1236?" _the person on the other end asked.

"Yeah," Troy said, slightly confused.

"_Oh."_ Justin couldn't help but be surprised over the fact that a guy answered Gabriella's phone. _"Is Gabriella there by chance?"_

"Yeah, hang on." He rolled his eyes and tried hard to hide his irritation at the guy on the other end of the line calling for _his_ Gabriella before turning around to give her the phone. "It's for you," he said.

"Who is it?" she asked without looking up from her book.

"Some guy," Troy told her as he tossed the phone in her direction. Luckily for her, she glanced up just in time to catch Troy's fumbled toss before he turned back around to face the computer screen and book in front of him.

"Hello?" she said into the phone, while shooting a glare at Troy's backside.

"_Gabriella? Hi. This is Justin Messer. How are you?"_

"Justin Messer? Oh, hi, Justin. Um, how did you get my number?... Oh, Davis gave it to you? Well, um, good." Gabriella paused in the conversation, stealing a look at Troy who had turned in his seat and noticed as he creased his eyebrows in confusion. She knew he recognized the name and she knew from where. Although part of her was enjoying watching as he tried to work it out in his head, the other part of her found it an invasion of her privacy to stay here on the couch and have this conversation in the living room where Troy could overhear. "Um... hang on a second, please. I'm going to go into the other room for some privacy. My um... my room mate is studying and I don't want to disturb him."

Gabriella stood and walked into her bedroom while Troy turned back around in his chair to face the computer and pulled up the Stanford University online student directory. Meanwhile, with Gabriella's bedroom door still open, he could hear her end of the conversation as it played out.

"Yeah, Troy Bolton, from Berkeley. We dated for awhile... Why did we break up? Well, it's really...it's a long story."

Troy's eyes narrowed even more as he turned his head with his chin resting on his shoulder so he could better hear her as she continued the conversation.

"I'm sorry, Justin, but at the risk of sounding rude, why are you calling? ... Tomorrow? I, I don't know. I mean, I guess I could... No, you don't have to pick me up. Why don't I just meet you? Well, ok, if you insist. I'll be ready around 6?"

It didn't take him long to find Justin Messer and place exactly where he knew that name... Justin Messer, the starting point guard and captain of Stanford's basketball team. Not only was he Troy's equal in the sport, but he was also calling Gabriella. All the more reason for Troy to not like him all that much.

"Ok, I'll see you tomorrow, Justin. Thanks for calling."

Troy heard Gabriella's voice coming closer as she came further down the hall and back into the living room and moved to quickly minimize the Stanford directory to go back to what he was looking at previously.

She hung up the phone and placed it back on the charger base and sat back down on the couch. As she was pulling her LSAT study guide back into her lap, she heard Troy's voice as he spoke to her without looking in her direction.

"You're seriously going to go out with _him_? Why him?"

"Why not him?" she shot back in defense.

"Stanford's starting point guard?" Troy questioned directly.

"Yeah, so? We had Political Analysis together last semester and this semester he has Biology with-"

"Let me guess... with Davis," Troy interrupted with a snarl.

"Yeah."

Troy broke the eye contact the two held and turned his focus elsewhere around the room. Anything to keep from looking at her right then. He gathered his things and got up, making his way to his room. He was halfway down the hall to his bedroom when he heard her voice calling out to him, trying hard to hide her anger.

"Why is this such a big deal to you, Troy?"

He spun on his heel to look at her, his steely blue eyes meeting her almost black ones. "You don't know guys like him, Gabriella," he said as his tone carried more force than he intended... more than he had ever used in any of their past arguments over the past few years, in fact. Realizing the tone of his voice and watching the combination of hurt and fear slowly work its way into her eyes, he loosened his tight fist and immediately softened his tone. "I'd probably be just like him... if it weren't for you. I hope he treats you well," he told her quietly before turning back in the direction of his bedroom.

"Troy... Wildcat..."

He paused and glanced back at her over his shoulder. He held up his hand to ward off her response and shook his head, knowing that if he verbally responded right then, they would more than likely just end up arguing further. Instead, he turned back around, went into his room, and shut the door behind him. When Gabriella heard the sounds of Kings of Leon drifting from the walls of his room, she knew their conversing for the evening was over. Sighing, she found that all hope for her studying had flown out the window so she gathered her books and went into her own bedroom for the night.

**TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF**

The following night, as much as she tried to, Gabriella just couldn't quit push Troy's non-warning warning from her mind.

"_You don't know guys like him, Gabriella..."_

Throughout the course of her date, she found herself wondering what exactly he meant by that statement. She kept watching Justin for any signs of unwelcomed approach and inadvertently kept her distance.

Justin picked up on her hesitance and took it upon himself to try and pull his date from her shell. To him, they were little movements. But to Gabriella, they made Troy's words echo in her mind. The more she tried to dissuade him, Justin just came on stronger. At one point she dropped her head, slightly defeated with the knowledge that Troy was right – and perhaps guys like Justin weren't an experience she needed to have.

Then, on top of Troy's concern, she began thinking about her most recent conversation with her mom that morning. She had shared a lunch date with Maria and ended up getting her own plate of crow as her entree.

_Maria stared at her daughter, disbelief at the update she had just been given by Gabriella written all over her face._

_"You've been on how many dates?" she asked incredulously. "With how many guys? Although I'm not sure I really want to know the answer to that. And you're still living with Troy?" When Gabriella answered with a simple head nod, Maria shook her head and continued talking. "I thought I had a smart daughter. Apparently your book sense is outweighing your ability to see reality, Gabriella. You want to get your future in order? I think maybe you should step back a few weeks and take a look at what you've been doing since Taylor was here. Honestly - and you know how I hate to use this word- and I know how you hate to be lectured - but this is __**stupid**__, Gabriella. The way you're behaving right now and how you're treating Troy, it's absolutely stupid."_

"Mother!" Gabriella shrieked, borderline angry at the words her mother had just spoken to her. But Maria didn't relent.

_"I mean it. You know I love you and support you - and most of your decisions. I've even tried supporting this idea that you __**need**__ to see other men. It made a little bit of sense at the beginning. But if you can't see how special your relationship with Troy is or was... It's like you can't see the forest for the trees. He adores you, Mija. He's wrapped his entire college life around you. And now- when you're both on the verge of moving forward into truly being adults and really beginning your future together- __**now**__ you decide he's not giving you enough?_

_"Mom, can we please not talk about this here?" Gabriella begged.  
><em>

_Maria took a deep breath and for the first time since the two met at the restaurant, she was able to tell that something was indeed different in Gabriella's demeanor. __The older woman looked around and met a few of the eyes that had turned toward them. She sat up straighter, took another breath and lowered her voice before beginning again.__ "I'm sorry. But I finally had your attention and I've needed to get that out for a while now. Sweetheart, I love you, but grow up, Gabriella." __The matching brown eyes met head on as Maria made her point. __ "Take a break from studying and think about your life over the past few years and what's going to happen after graduation. Sit down, make your pro/ con list that I know you've just been itching to make. I think you'll be surprised at what you find. Stop thinking about what Taylor said and start thinking like the Gabriella that I know and love."_**  
><strong>

_Gabriella chanced a look into the matching brown eyes and the look that Maria held in her own was dark and serious, more than Gabriella had seen in a long__time. She was trying hard to convey love and concern with her voice, but Gabriella knew her mom. The two Montez women could read each other like a book and it was very easy for Gabriella to see that her mom was upset about this situation. There's only one answer that she can give. It's the one that she knows Maria is expecting, so that's what she provided._

_"Yes, Ma'am."_

As hard as it was to hear her mom's words and as hard as she tried to fight them, Gabriella had no choice but to let them sink in. And sink in they did. So much so that when Justin knocked on her door to pick her up and gave her a bouquet of flowers and leaned in for a kiss, she found herself backing up out of his reach, hoping to fend off his way-too-soon advances. But blocking him once only seemed to like a challenge to Justin.

And Justin Messer liked a challenge. He often conquered almost all challenges that were presented to him.

Between all the attempts at holding her hand, putting his arm around her shoulders, putting his arm around her middle from behind, or even kissing her, Gabriella was ready for the end of the evening. She felt almost deflated and couldn't wait to get back home to Troy, the only gentleman in her life.

_Wait, did I just think that?_ she asked herself. _I can't wait to get home to Troy? But he and I-_

"Another drink, Gabi?" Justin asked, bringing her from her thoughts and causing her to inwardly cringe at her late father's nickname for her.

"Um, actually, Justin, I don't think so."

"But you've only had one cider," he pointed out too condescendingly for Gabriella's liking. "That's not even a real beer."

"I actually have my LSATs in two days. It's-" she paused to glance at her watch- "almost midnight. If you don't mind, I think I'm going to leave. I'm getting up early to spend all day tomorrow studying."

When the two said their goodbyes, Gabriella watched as Justin didn't last five seconds before he walked off and found another random girl at the bar to hook his arms around. Gabriella rolled her eyes as she grabbed her purse and walked to the door.

The whole drive back to the apartment, Gabriella had a permanent scowl on her face. As she pulled into the parking lot, there was another car in front of her. As she sat studying the tail lights, she wondered why they looked so familiar. She easily spotted the "UCB" parking sticker in the lower left corner that marked Troy's vehicle.

_Wonder if he went out with someone tonight, too?_ she thought with another touch of sadness.

At her turn, she pulled up to the keypad and punched in the code to open the gates behind him, following him through the parking lot to their building. As the two got out of their respective vehicles, there was no avoiding each other, as much as they each tried.

"Hey," Troy greeted.

"Hey," she responded softly.

"Well? How was this one?" he asked, trying to mask his frustration and attempting to make polite conversation despite the fact that he didn't really want to know.

"Never. Again!" When he turned his confused look to her, he first had to ignore the tears in her eyes to focus on her look of disgust. "Will I go on a pseudo blind date."

"Pseudo?"

"I only knew his name through class. Well, class and the fact that he's a famous athlete around campus. You know what that's like, right? We've never really hung out in the past. So in a way, it was a blind date, but yet not really." She let her voice trail off to keep from rambling and to try and curb her mixed emotions.

"I'm guessing he wasn't what you were expecting?" Troy questioned as they reached the door and he lifted his hand to the door knob to unlock it.

"Well," she paused and looked down at Troy's feet, "Neither were you," she told him with a slight shrug of her shoulders.

Troy held his lips together as he watched her. Then he opened the door and allowed Gabriella to enter first – ever the gentleman that she found him to be.

"He was too... forward? I think he wanted way more than I did."

"What makes you say that?"

"Because after I said bye, in the time it took for me to reach for my purse, he had already found some new blonde bimbo with a boob job that he was hanging all over."

"How do you know she had a boob job?" Troy asked through his laughter.

"Because her breasts were four times too big for the rest of her body. She was way out of proportion. Plus the fact that no one's boobs are that firm and perky."

"That is so not like you," Troy pointed out with a chuckle. "When did you become judgmental?" Troy noted to himself that it wasn't necessarily a change that he liked – and hoped it wasn't permanent.

Gabriella turned on the kitchen light and grabbed a water out of the refrigerator before she turned to face him. For the first time in the past few weeks, she studied his face- really studied it- and was surprised by what she saw: fatigue, sorrow, despair, melancholy... Gabriella softened her voice, knowing that she was the reason why he was the way he was right now. The current shade of his eyes stabbed her right in the heart and again, her mind drifted back to the conversation with her mom earlier that afternoon.

"_Take a break from studying and think about your life over the past few years and what's going to happen after graduation. Sit down, make your pro/ con list that I know you've just been itching to make. I think you'll be surprised at what you find."_

"I don't know. Maybe I'm just starting to see things in a different light."

Troy didn't respond. And with his silence Gabriella felt the tension in the air. Maria's words lingered. Troy's despondent face, yet caring attitude, mixed with her mother's lecture... She couldn't look at his face another second and yet she couldn't push it from her thoughts.

Gabriella took her water and purse and walked softly past him with a whispered "excuse me", went down the hall and into her bedroom, and shut the door behind her as she fought the tears that she surprisingly felt making their way down her cheek.


	19. Revelations

**Chapter 19: Revelations**

**I just want to take a moment to point out that posting every couple of weeks is in fact a LOT sooner than once a month or longer. I do have a real life and this story is not my absolute main focus. Please do not send me reviews saying "Crazy:I thought you Said you would Update more often :(" or "What do i have to do to make u Update?" as questions like that will not prompt me to update. This update was already prepared to be posted tonight; I am not posting because of those reviews. Please fashion your reviews to be about the story itself, not about "when will you post a new chapter" or "how many chapters there are" or "will Gabriella go back to Troy", as I will not answer those questions. That's why you read a story- to get answers like that.**

**Okay, I'm off my soapbox now. With that being said- sit back, relax, and enjoy this new chapter of "What the Future Holds"! Love and blessings to you all!**

The next day was important for Gabriella and for her future. In one day, she would be taking the LSATs for the second time. She didn't need to take them a second time- she did extremely well the first go around- but she really wanted to increase her score by about twenty-five points, just to have a nice cushion for her law school applications. Having that cushion would provide a lot more opportunities and choices for her as far as location is .

She spent the day after her date with Justin- well, in her mind, it was a date with herself and Justin just happened to be there- studying harder than she ever had in her life. But in the midst of her studying her rear end off, she also felt the sniffles, the sneezes, and the itchy eyes.

"Oh... please not now. Please wait just one more day! You can come tomorrow night after the LSATs are over!" she said to herself, as she rubbed her eyes following a particularly unwelcomed series of sneezes.

She knew the signs. They had made their presence known this time every year since she was in the seventh grade. Maria called it her "End-of-Year-Cram-for-Final-Exams" bug, although it was a little more than a mere bug. It usually lasted for about three or four days and was a full force, monster size sinus and allergy attack. This time, however, the symptoms were a lot more prevalent then usual and she couldn't figure out why.

Before standing from her spot at Troy's desk in the living room, Gabriella decided to take a quick break for a few minutes and reached over to grab a tissue- frowning when she found it to be the last in the box. She then walked into the kitchen and reached into the cabinet next to the refrigerator and groaned when she discovered her bottle of Allegra to be empty. She picked up the pen that sat on the counter and wrote 'tissues' and 'Allegra' on the pad she and Troy kept magnetized on the refrigerator for their grocery list and made a mental note to stop at the Walgreens around the corner from their apartment the next afternoon after her exam.

Having been so lost in her thoughts about being sick, Gabriella was startled when the phone shattered the silence in the apartment. She made her way back into the living room and leaned over to pick up the cordless phone from the coffee table. She let out a sneeze as her hand wrapped around the devise and hit the 'talk' button.

"Hello?" she answered, startled by the rasp she heard. She cleared her throat and tried again. "Excuse me, I'm sorry. Hello?"

"_Is Troysie there?"_

Gabriella cringed at the annoyingly perky voice on the other end of the line- a voice that sounded like it belonged to a bleached blonde just by hearing it.

"Who?" she asked pointedly. She was trying hard to not be rude to the girl on the other end, but she was a little bit put off by someone calling Troy. Not just a _someone_, but _another girl_. And when did he like being called 'Troysie?' Gabriella recalled a time in high school when Sharpay and Zeke were teasing them and she called him Troysie in jest; needless to say, no one has ever called him that since.

"_Troysie. Troy Bolton? This is his number, right? Oh, shoot. I bet I wrote it down wrong when he gave it to me last night... Is that a six or a two? I can't tell."  
><em>

Gabriella rolled her eyes as she listened to the person on the other end. _What a ditz_, she thought to herself.

"Sweetheart, I know Troy doesn't have the best handwriting- I mean, I've been trying to make sense of it for over five years now- but a six and a two look nothing alike, no matter who's writing it. How can the two numbers be confused?"

_"So this is his number?" _the caller asked, ignoring Gabriella's question.

"Who's calling?" Gabriella asked, trying hard to fend off the sniffles.

_"You ask a lot of questions, don't you?"_

"I live here, too. I think I have a right to take a message for Troy," Gabriella told her point blank. She was through being civil. This girl was playing with fire and she didn't even know it.

_"Troy lives with a girl?"_ the caller asked, shocked. _"He never told me that."_

Gabriella sighed, clearly irritated. "Look, do you want me to give him a message or not?"

"_Tell him Brendi called and everything's set for tonight. 'Kay? Thanks, bye!_

Gabriella heard the dial tone in her ear and pulled the phone away, looking at the receiver in her hand, even more confused and upset than before.

"Brendi?"she asked out loud into the empty apartment. "Really, Troy? _Brendi? _I bet she's one of those types who thinks that she... Oh, my gosh!" she interrupted herself with a groan. "I'm seriously about to reduce myself to her level by trying to describe her!" She paused when her body was wracked by sneezes again and moaned.

"Damn sinuses," she cursed as she made her way back to the couch and pulled her LSAT study materials back into her lap.

**TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF**

Some time later- she didn't know how long it had been; she had been so absorbed in her studying that she lost track of time- Gabriella heard keys turning in the lock and looked up in time to see Troy walking through the door.

"Hey," he greeted her, receiving a finger in the air telling him to hold on a second in response as she looked up a fact in the book sitting next to her on the couch. He watched as her mouth moved as she silently read the words on the page and then made a note in the margin and he couldn't help but smile. Troy always loved to watch her study. The technique she used, the way she looked so intense when she was researching facts... Finally, she lifted her head to face him.

"Hey," she said, her voice scratchy from all the coughing she had been doing throughout the day. The scratchiness caught his attention and it was at that moment that he noticed the roll of toilet paper sitting next to her on the couch.

"Your sinuses?" he guessed knowingly with a nod in her direction.

"Yeah," she pouted. "And I'm all out of Allegra and Kleenex," she told him with a sniffle. "I won't have time to stop until tomorrow after the LSATs."

As he walked into the kitchen, he heard her voice call out to him again.

"You've been going out a lot."

"Just hanging out with the guys. No big deal," he told her as he uncapped a bottle of Aquafina and took a sip as he moved back into the living room.

"Oh," she said, not letting his excuse sit. "Then who's Brendi?" she asked him cautiously, expecting a blowup in response. "I've never heard you mention her name before. Is she someone from one of your classes this semester?"

Out of the corner of her eye, she watched as Troy's muscles tightened and he stood up straighter. _Busted_, she thought to herself.

"She's just Mandy's cousin," he told her. "You know, Andy's girlfriend? She's been coming with them the last few times we've been out."

"So...are you..." She paused, trying to summon up the courage to ask the question that had been haunting her ever since the phone call. "...dating her?" she carefully asked, almost afraid of the answer she would receive.

Troy looked at her, shocked at her bluntness. "What? No. Well, I dunno. Not really. She's there, I'm there. We end up talking when the others go dance or whatever."

Gabriella felt her heart drop to her feet, but refused to let her disappointment show. "Oh."

"Wait, how'd you know about her?"

"She called earlier. Said everything was set for tonight. So...I guess tonight's a date?"

Troy watched as her eyes lost their shine and turned dull. He knew this news was killing her. He knew because he had been there just three weeks previously.

_You can't go the rest of your life worrying about her, _he told himself._ You have to go move on, too, just like she's been doing. You're not doing anything wrong._

Troy shook his head, clearing those thoughts away. "Crap, I forgot I told her I'd go with her to this thing. Some sorority dinner or something."

"You forgot a date?" she asked as he walked back into the kitchen, trying to hide her jealousy but failing miserably.

"Green's not a good color on you, Gabriella," Troy told her as he pulled his phone from his pocket. He stood with his elbows propped on the bar top and watched Gabriella for her reaction.

"What?" she asked as she turned her gaze in his direction.

"You're jealous."

"No, I'm not," she scoffed. "I'm just curious, that's all."

"Fine, call it what you want." He held the phone in his hand was searched through his contact list until he found Brendi's number.

"It's fine, Troy. You can go out with whoever you want to, even if she is some bobble head..." she told him as she turned her focus back to the books in front of her, mumbling the end of her statement under her breath.

"Please don't lecture me, Gabriella. I think I'm old enough to know that I can go out with whomever I want. That's what you're doing, isn't it?"

He finally found the number he was looking for and turned his back to make the call as she brought her icy glare in his direction. He knew his last statement hit a nerve with Gabriella and he couldn't stand to look at her and see the hurt in her eyes.

"Take the best thing in my life and turn it upside down so you can go out with idiots who don't know a thing about you," he mumbled under his breath as he waited for the call to connect on the other end. "Remind me to thank Taylor again," he said in his normal tone.

"What?!" She stood from her spot on the couch and came to stand in front of him so she could better hear what he was saying. It was at that moment that Brendi answered. Or at least, she guessed as much when Troy waved his hand in front of her face to get her to be quiet.

"Hey, Brendi... Yeah, it's me, Troy. My _roommate_ just gave me the message that you called." He looked at Gabriella when he emphasized 'roommate' and watched as she rolled her eyes and walked back to the couch. "I'm sorry, what time is this thing again tonight? I have it written down, but must have misplaced it."

He glanced up just in time to see Gabriella pick up her books and walk to her room, closing the door behind her.

**TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF**

Saturday morning came and went, with Gabriella feeling the most confident that she had ever felt following a test. She felt like she increased her scores by twenty-five points- as was her goal- and then some. When she was walking to car her following the exams, she reached for her cell phone and turned it back on, having turned it off during the testing hours. She paused next to the driver's door of her car as the phone booted back up and wasn't surprised to immediately receive a text from her mom checking to see how it went. Gabriella quickly typed in a reply and just as she was hitting send, the phone rang in her hand. Taking a quick glance at the screen, she saw Davis' name and answered.

"Hello?"

"_How did you do?"_

"Davis, I so rocked it this time!" she told him, not hiding her excitement.

"_That's great! So you think you got those extra twenty-five points you were hoping for?"_

"I wouldn't be surprised if I got an extra thirty or thirty-five more points!"

"_That's- Wow! That's incredible! We've got to go out and celebrate! I just got off the phone with Jacob and he's trying to get he rest of the study group together to go out tonight. What do you say? Are you in?"_

"Absolutely! I've stayed cooped up too much lately, studying so much. I have _got_ to get out!"

"_Cooped up?" _Davis asked with a snort of laughter. _"Is that what they're calling it these days?"_

"What do you mean by that?" Gabriella asked with a confused smile.

"_So you're calling all those dates you've been on lately 'cooped up'? Girl, if you consider that cooped up..." _he let his voice trail off, hearing her sigh of defeat in his ear.

"Fine!" she said, rolling her eyes at her friend. "As soon as all of the details are worked out, text me, okay?"

The two friends said their goodbyes and Gabriella finally climbed in her car and dialed the all too familiar number, listening to the ringing on the other end until the person answered.

"Hey, Mom, it's me. I got your message; I just got out... Oh, my gosh! They went so great this morning! I rocked them!..."

She continued to fill Maria in on her morning as she drove back to the apartment in hopes of a much needed nap, completely forgetting about her plan to stop at the Walgreens. With the sinuses preventing her from breathing through her nose, Gabriella hadn't been sleeping well at night, so she hoped that a nap would be possible for that afternoon.

**TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF **

When Troy got home that afternoon after a morning at the gym, he was anxious to talk to Gabriella to find out how the LSATs went for her. Despite all they had been through in the past few weeks, he knew that this was a big day for her and he really wanted her to do well.

"Gabriella?" he called out, as he walked through the door. When he was greeted by silence, he came in further and walked down the hall a bit, stopping when he noticed her door was ajar. He stood just outside her door for a moment, listening to her soft snores. He wasn't oblivious to the fact that she hadn't been sleeping well- the walls in the apartment were thin and he heard her tossing and turning at night- and was thankful for her sake that she was finally sleeping, even if just for a couple of hours or so. He pushed the door open a bit more and peaked in, wondering if she stopped on her way home like she mentioned she would. The roll of toilet paper and bottle of Tylenol on her bedside table was his answer.

Shaking his head, he made a decision that the old Troy would have made- the Troy that was in a committed, long term relationship. He quickly and quietly left her room and went into the kitchen. He tore the list off the refrigerator, grabbed his keys, and walked out the door without so much as a second thought.

**TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF**

The sound of the phone ringing in the living room was what caused Gabriella to stir from her sleep. She rubbed her eyes and rolled over in her bed. She let out a soft sigh as the ringing stopped. _Troy must be home,_ she thought to herself. Hearing his muffled voice in the living room as he talked on the phone confirmed her suspicions.

As she moved to get out from under the covers, the items on her bedside table caught her eye. A brand new box of Kleenex; a new, unopened bottle of Allegra; a bottle of EsterC... _Where did those come from?_ she wondered, scrunching her eyebrows in confusion. She didn't have time to think about it, though, as she heard soft knocking at her bedroom door.

"Gabriella?" Troy called out softly, in case she was still asleep.

"I'm awake," she answered him. "You can come in."

Troy opened the door and she noticed him holding the cordless phone, covering the mouthpiece with his hand.

"Did you have a good nap?" he asked.

"Yeah, I did," she nodded.

"I figured you forgot to stop and get your stuff, so I went and got it for you," he told her, signaling to her bedside table where the supplies sat.

"I was wondering where it all came from. Thank you."

"Phone's for you," he said, holding the phone out to her.

"Who is it?" she asked, as she took it from him. That was when she noticed his steely blue eyes.

"Taylor," was his simple response as he tossed the phone on her bed and turned on his heel, walking out of her room.

"Oh," was all she could manage to get out before she reached for the phone with a trembling hand and put it to her ear. "Hello?" she said tentatively.

"_I didn't know if either of you would speak to me or not, which is why I called when I thought you two wouldn't be home," _Taylor started. When Gabriella didn't respond, Taylor continued. _"Gabriella? I know you're there. It's your sinus season and I hear you breathing through your mouth."_

"Sorry. I guess I just... You know, I've had this conversation over and over in my head and I thought I was ready. Apparently I'm not quite sure what to say after all."

"_Then let me, please?"_ Taylor said. When Gabriella didn't respond, Taylor continued. _"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry. I've been talking to Chad and he helped me to realize that what you and Troy had was special and I should have just stayed out of it."_

"There's no need to apologize. Well, I mean, there is, but... Taylor? I'm glad you called. I really need you right now," Gabriella admitted, her voice small and the vulnerability was evident to Taylor.

"_Really?"_ Taylor said, with hope shining through her words.

"Yeah," Gabriella confirmed. "I'm more confused now than I was before," she said softly.

"_What? Why?"_

"I've been on some first dates since you left with guys who seem to be really nice, interesting guys."

"_So what's the problem?"_

"Things seem fine at first, but as the evening goes on, I realize that they're... they're not..." Gabriella let her voice trail off, not able to finish her thought for fear that it would be showing her failures for the first time in her life.

"_They're not Troy?" _Taylor supplied for her friend, her voice going up with inflection to emphasize her question.

"No, I didn't say that," Gabriella said, shaking her head, hoping to get her point across despite the fact that Taylor couldn't see her. "Let's just say that they're not really that nice- or interesting, for that matter- once I'm out with them. Am I screwing up the first dates? Am I choosing rotten guys? Am I really this bad at the whole dating thing?"

Taylor couldn't help but let her heart break for her friend. Gabriella was going through this heartbreak and this stress all because of her. She could kick herself for getting involved the way that she did!

"_Let's back up a minute and I'm going to say it a little differently... They're not Troy."_ This time it was said as a statement in hopes to get her point across.

"What?"

"_I screwed up. Okay? That's no secret. You could have taken what I said with a grain of salt and just been upset with me for meddling. But you didn't. You took what I said seriously and you're going through with this craziness anyway. Sweetie, you're not going to have a perfect first date- or second date, for that matter- because right now you aren't dating Troy. I was trying to convince myself and refused to believe that you had actually found your soul mate in high school...and he's a lunkhead basketball player, for that matter!" _Taylor paused and smiled to herself when she heard Gabriella's chuckle at the last part of her last statement._ "But now I'm rethinking all of that."_

Gabriella felt the tears, but fought hard to keep them back. She knew that this conversation was an important one for her and Taylor's friendship. Now wasn't the time for the tears. But at the same time, she knew that all her emotions were out of whack anyway- given her sinus issues, all the stress with the LSATs, and her personal issues with Troy. She swallowed hard to try and get rid of the lump and continued the conversation.

"So what are you trying to tell me Taylor?"

"_That maybe I was wr..." _She couldn't say it! No matter how many times she had rehearsed this exact conversation with Chad, those words were a lot harder in reality for Taylor to get out.

"Excuse me?" Gabriella knew what Taylor was trying to say. She wanted to actually hear the words, though, and wasn't going to accept it until she did.

"_I said that perhaps I was wroooo..."_

Gabriella couldn't help but grin. She was having a little bit of fun at Taylor's expense! "I keep missing that last word. What are you trying to say?"

Taylor rolled her eyes at Gabriella's game. She knew what the brunette was up to on the other end of the phone. _"I think I might have been __**wrong**__, okay?!" _

Gabriella chuckled again with the knowledge that she finally broke Taylor.

"Wow. How did those words feel coming out of your mouth?" she asked smugly.

"_Like vinegar,"_ Taylor told her without pause.

The two girls paused for a moment, both gathering their thoughts. Finally, Gabriella broke the silence.

"Taylor? I have another date with Davis tonight."

"_Another? How many have you been on?"_

"With him? This will be number two. But I've been on three others not counting the ones with him. After tonight, it'll be five total."

"_Why do you sound unexcited about it?"_

"Because I think I'm starting to second guess everything."

"_Gabriella? Honey? I know I gave bad advice before, but I'm about to give more and I think this is actually much better than any advice I've ever given you in our past. Please take this piece of advice to heart, okay?"_

"In all honesty- after recent events- I can't promise that until I hear what it is," Gabriella told her solemnly.

"_Fair enough... I deserve that. Okay, here goes. Are you ready?"_

"Ready."

"_Follow your heart. I know I thought you were crazy, but your heart never does. Whatever it's telling you, must be truth. So follow your heart. If what your heart tells you makes you happy, then I'll be ecstatic for you."_

Gabriella thought about what Taylor had just told her. Follow her heart. Right now, that was just a little bit easier said than done. In order for that to happen, she had to figure out what her heart was telling her.

"I can try to do that," she told her softly.

**TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF**

As Gabriella hit "end" on the cordless phone, she looked at the bedside table and spotted her cell phone. She picked it up to check for any missed text messages and noticed that it had been turned off. She pushed the covers back and got out of bed, making her way into the living room to hang up the cordless.

"Hey, Troy?" she asked him, when she found him sitting on the couch watching ESPN.

"Yeah?"

"First of all, thank you for getting my medicine and stuff. I really appreciate it."

"You're welcome. I knew you hadn't been sleeping well lately- what with being sick and stressed over the LSATs- that I just ran out to get it for you when I saw that you were napping."

"Well, thank you." The two were silent for a minute while the commentators in the screen were talking about the Berkeley baseball team and their recent clean sweep of their last ten games. The topic of discussion was exactly how long could they keep it up and whether or not they would still hold that record when they faced the number one team of the conference and local Bay area rivals- Stanford. "Your guys are going down, Bolton."

Troy smirked as he turned his attention to the Cardinal fan standing before him. He shook his head at her statement. "You've never really been very good at the trash talk, have you?"

Gabriella shrugged as she made her way into the kitchen to get a bottle of water. "I try."

"Not very hard," he said.

"Whatever!" She paused as she took a sip of her water. "Hey, question. Did you turn off my cell?"

"Oh! Yeah, sorry. I tried to get rid of all distractions while you were sleeping. Sorry about that."

"It's okay. I was just wondering," she said softly.

Gabriella stayed standing in the kitchen for a minute, just watching him. Taylor's words echoed in her mind: _Follow your heart._

_But what are you trying to tell me, dear heart? You and I have always been so in tuned with each other. Why are we out of synch now? And just when I need you the most..._

"Gabriella? Did you hear me?" She had been brought out of her reverie by Troy waving his hand in her face. _How long have I been standing here like a freak show?_

"I'm sorry, no. I didn't. I must have dazed out. What did you say?"

"I asked how the LSATs went this morning?" he repeated his earlier question.

"Oh! They went great! I think I got those twenty-five points and then some!"

"I bet you're excited to finally not have to worry about them, huh?"

"More than you know!" she said, letting out a soothing breath.

"Well, that's great! You should go out and celebrate." _With you?_ She couldn't help but think to herself.

_Wait, what? Where did that come from?_

"Call up Kate or someone," he continued, and Gabriella realized that he wasn't talking about her going out with him to celebrate.

_Geez, girl! Get a grip, why don't you?!_

"Actually, I am."

"You are?" he asked, sounding alarmed.

"Yeah. Davis said something about it this morning. Which reminds me, let me turn my phone back on. He may have texted me while I was napping," she told him, as she turned on her phone and waited for it to boot up. About a minute later, she heard the tell tale text message tone. She opened it up and read the message from Davis.

"_Old Pro at 8?"_

He was referring to the sports bar in Palto Alto in the University Avenue area, just a few blocks from the Stanford campus. The restaurant as a whole was at best mediocre, but when it came to inexpensive drinks, it seemed to be the place to be.

She quickly typed out her response.

"_Feel like driving out here and giving a ride? It's okay otherwise, but I don't want to worry about being responsible tonight if I don't have to be haha! Way too much to celebrate after this morning!"_

"What's that about?" Troy questioned her.

"It's Davis, asking if I want to go to the Old Pro tonight. I just asked him if he feels like picking me up. I don't want to worry about driving."

"Why don't you just go ahead and drive? If you feel you need a ride home, give me a call and I'll come get you," Troy offered. Gabriella looked at him, puzzled.

"Why?" she asked as her phone rang. "Hello?" she answered, walking into her bedroom to continue her conversation with Davis on the other end.

"Because I don't want you alone with him..." Troy said softly out load to the empty room.

**TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF**

The plans had been made. Davis drove out to Hayward to pick up Gabriella- he told her he wasn't planning on getting too crazy that evening; just enough to feel relaxed.

As the night went on, Gabriella's "I'm just allowing myself to have two" turned into three which soon turned into four. Before she knew it, Davis was settling the tab with the bartender and was saying their goodbyes to the rest of the group and helping her to the car. Gabriella had always been a responsible drinker. She knew her limits and when enough was enough. She had never been throwing-up-hangover-the-next-morning drunk, but had been close a few times. This was one of those times. Davis drove her home and listened through the whole thirty-five minute journey as she giggled over a joke that had been told earlier in the evening.

"I mean, it was just so _funny_! I've got to remember it! How did it go again?"

Davis just smiled and rolled his eyes as he retold the joke for the fifth time since they had been in the car. When they finally pulled up in the parking lot of her apartment building, he killed the engine and came around to the passenger side of the car to help her out. He walked her up the steps as Gabriella kept rummaging through her purse for her keys, and they stopped outside her door just as she pulled her hand out triumphantly.

"Found them!" she announced loudly.

"Good," Davis said, chuckling.

The two of them stood there watching each other. Gabriella suddenly felt herself sober up as she watched Davis's eyes on her. She had seen that look in his eyes before, but they weren't his eyes she had seen in it. It had been Troy's eyes where she saw that look. And she saw it when they were only sixteen and he was about to kiss her for the first time.

_Why am I seeing that look now, of all times? _her mind was saying.

"I really like you, Gabriella," Davis said.

_Danger, Will Robinson!_ The alarm bells were going off.

"I've been fighting it for so long. Since our freshman year, in fact, but you were with Troy. I know I should still be fighting it, since you're fresh out of a relationship, but I can't fight it anymore, Gabriella." She couldn't help but notice that he kept getting closer to her. She subconsciously took a step back, but grunted when she felt the door knob in her lower back.

"Davis-" she began.

"Look, Gabriella, I can't fight it. I think you and I could be really great together and I really want to kiss you right now."

It was like she was having an out of body experience. She was standing there, watching as he brought his hand up to run it through her hair and brought his face closer to hers, but- no matter how loud Out-of-Body Gabriella was screaming at her to get inside- she just couldn't bring herself to move.

Before she knew it, Reality Gabriella took control. The key was in the lock and the door came unlocked.

Davis leaned in further and just as he was about to make contact, Gabriella turned her face so his lips landed on her cheek.

"What's the matter?" Davis asked her sensing a change in her attitude. "Are you okay?"

Gabriella didn't know what to say, so she said the only two words she could think of.

"I'm sorry."

She turned the knob of the door and let herself inside. Once it was closed and she and Davis had the physical separation, she let her body slide down the door until she landed with a _thud!_ on the floor. She brought her hands up and buried her face behind them, letting the tears fall.

She sat there for a few minutes before she finally got the courage to pick herself up off the floor and- forgetting about her purse that was sitting beside her on the floor- made her way further into the apartment. She needed to talk to someone; it didn't matter who at that point.

"Troy?" she called softly. Gabriella took her sweater off and tossed it on the back of the chair as she walked down the hall and spotted his bedroom door open, but couldn't find him anywhere. After searching all over, she finally found a note stuck to the refrigerator and recognized his handwriting.

"Gone out" was all it said.

She felt the tears streaming down her face and grabbed a tissue from the nearby box, wiping her nose and leaving the tissue and Troy's note on the counter.

"He's moving on, Gabriella," she told herself through her tears. "It's time for you to do so as well."

She moved into her bedroom- kicking her shoes off as she walked further down the hall-, got ready for bed and climbed under her covers, and cried herself to sleep, as she tried to make sense of all the new feelings she was experiencing.


	20. Reassurances

**Chapter 20: Reassurances**

"Come on in, Brendi. I think we have some Seagram's in the refrigerator if you want something to drink," Troy told his date as he unlocked the door. He swung it open, only to be met with some resistance. He pushed a little bit harder and looked down to try and find the reason for the door not opening all the way and there, on the floor right in front of the door, was Gabriella's pewter colored purse.

He knew that Coach bag; he'd recognize it anywhere. After all, he did give it to her for Christmas their junior year. The two of them had been out shopping for his mom's birthday that September and she saw it in the Coach store window. He knew by the look in her eyes that she had fallen in love with it and decided right then that he would get it for her. He had to save his money for months in order to afford to buy it and surprise her with it, but the look on her face made all the scrimping and starving the rest of the semester worth it.

"That's odd," he said as he leaned down to pick it up.

"I like your purse," Brendi told him as she fingered the strap. "No, actually, I love your purse!"

Troy fought hard to hide his look of disbelief. _Are you serious? You really think I carry a purse? _

"Um... it's not my purse. It's my ex-girl-... my roommate's." He walked to the high top, four seat dining room table the two of them had and set the purse on top. "Help yourself to whatever's in the refrigerator." He spotted Gabriella's sweater on the back of the recliner and crossed the few feet over to stand at the back of the chair. "Like I said, I think my roommate has some Seagram's in there, but I'm not positive," he said over his shoulder as he fingered Gabriella's sweater.

_This is really odd_, he thought to himself. _She's usually all over me about picking up behind myself._

"I found one," he heard Brendi's voice call out to him. "Do you want anything?"

"Um, yeah. Bring me a water, please."

Troy put the sweater back where it was and turned around to face Brendi, just in time to see her stumble slightly on her way into the living room.

"Are you okay?" he asked as he took a few steps in her direction to help her gain her balance. When he glanced up, he noticed something over her shoulder on the counter in the kitchen.

"Yeah. What did I trip on?" she asked, looking down at the floor. She leaned down and picked up one of the offending items that were at her feet. "Are these your Gladiator sandals?"

Troy just looked at her in frustration. "Really?" he asked. _Can one person really be that dumb?_

"I'm just checking."

"Actually..." he started. Troy held up a finger, silently telling Brendi to 'hang on' and walked into the kitchen, taking a closer look at the counter. He saw the note and a few crumpled up tissues next to it. "Oh, great," he mumbled to himself. "Hang on a second, Brendi, I'll be right back."

"Wait!" She put her hand on his arm, stopping him before he could walk off. He stood in front of her- Troy facing down the hall and Brendi facing the kitchen- and allowed her to wrap her arms around his neck. She stood on her tiptoes and started to give him a kiss on his lips, but Troy turned his face and left her lips to land on his cheek. "You just seem so tense," she told him with a pout. "I can help you work out all of those knots you have in your shoulders," she said, giving him a seductive smile as she attempted to massage the tightness in his neck.

She leaned in and initiated another kiss and just as he was about to close his eyes and give into the feeling, something caught his eye- Gabriella's bedroom door that was left ajar.

_She usually keeps it closed, _he thought to himself. _Something's not right._

Troy gently pushed Brendi a few feet away from him. "I'll be right back, Brendi," he told her again, this time successfully walking away.

He walked in the direction of Gabriella's bedroom and pushed the door slightly open a little more. As he stuck his head in the door, he found her- tucked far under her covers, her dark curls creating a curtain for her to hide her face behind, and-

_Are those tears?_ he thought, when he spotted the wetness streaming down her cheek.

_Damnit!_ he silently cursed his conscience as he released a sigh. Why tonight, when he had a date sitting just in the other room, expecting tonight to be fun. _Brendi's going to have to get over it_, he decided.

"Brendi?" he called as he walked into the other room. "I'm sorry, but tonight isn't a good night. I've got something here I need to deal with."

"But Troy..." she started with a pout. Troy took a deep breath and placed his hands on her shoulders, giving her a brief kiss to her red lips, hiding his cringe as he pulled away. _It's still not the same,_ he thought himself as he twisted his mouth to hide his disapproval of her kiss.

"I'll call you soon, okay? I need to check on my roommate," he fibbed. "I don't think she's doing too well."

"What do you consider soon?" she asked, allowing Troy to use his hands on her shoulders to turn her and lead her to the door.

"I'm not sure. My parents are getting in from New Mexico in the next few days for graduation and I need to pick them up from the airport. But I will call you at some point."

The two said their good-byes and Troy shut the door. When he turned back around, his eyes traveled down the hallway while his feet followed instinctively. Before he realized what had happened he was standing outside Gabriella's partly-opened door.

"I really wish I could read your mind like I used to be able to. I used to know what you're thinking just by looking at you." He pushed himself off the door frame and walked to his own bedroom, closing the door behind him.

**TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF**

After Davis left, Gabriella allowed herself to sink into the depths of her covers, surrounded by the silence of the apartment. She was used to being alone- Troy did travel with the basketball team, leaving her to fend for herself on more than one occasion- but that didn't make it any easier to suffer through- especially not when she was depressed and confused.

After her talk with Taylor that afternoon, she found herself really questioning her decisions as of late and second guessing some of the things she had said and done. Did she really want to permanently end things with Troy? Was she really ready to start dating other people? If she did break up with him for good, Gabriella didn't know what she would do. The two of them had been together for so long; her whole world practically revolved around him. She thought about what Sharpay had told her when the two of them talked about three weeks previously:

_Do you even know who you are as an individual?_

It was time for Gabriella to be honest with herself. At the time that Sharpay posed that question, Gabriella had to say no. But after the last three weeks, she did know who she was. She was Gabriella Montez- fabulous budding attorney extraordinaire; honors student at one of the most prestigious universities in America; daughter of one of the hardest working women she knew and her hero Gabriel, who had put up the greatest fight of his life, a fight that he eventually lost.

At this point in time- and most importantly right now- she was supposed to be a girlfriend to Troy Bolton. Yes, he was a boy when she met him, but she had had the privilege of watching him grow into one of the greatest gentlemen she knew. That was one of the many reasons why she was extremely proud of him. The gentleman he'd become, the ethics he had come to value, and the drive that he'd always had, but really honed in on in the past few months since he hurt his knee at the beginning of the season. She was ready to admit that she was wrong in asking for this break. She just hoped that she wasn't too late and hadn't pushed him too far away. Because at this point in time and after the few weeks break that they had, she realized that she did indeed love him.

Gabriella was so lost in her thoughts that she bolted upright in her bed, startled, when she heard the front door open. In the quietness of the apartment, she was able to not only make out what was being said, but also who the voices belonged to. She sat there listening for a minute- rolling her eyes at Brendi's airhead qualities- until she heard something that made her heart sink much lower than her stomach and all hope that she had for reconciling with Troy deflated like a balloon that had been poked with a straight pin.

"_Wait!"_ Gabriella heard her competition shriek in the other room. She obviously couldn't see what was going on, but based on the tone of the words Gabriella heard next, she just knew it was a good thing that she was unable to.

"_You just seem so tense. I can help you work out all of those knots you have in your shoulders." _Those words were followed by the sound of a kiss, causing the tears to spring to Gabriella's eyes.

_Geez... this girl puts high school Sharpay to shame! _she thought, swiping furiously at her tears, before lowering herself back down under the covers and snuggling in deep, hoping to cry herself to sleep, knowing that when that happened, she slept the best.

She was so busy getting comfortable, that she didn't hear Troy and Brendi say their good-byes. She did, however, hear the door close and Troy's footsteps. She heard every word he said to her as he stood in her doorway. He thought she was asleep, but she heard every word.

**TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF**

Later that night after Brendi left, Troy got himself ready for bed. He crawled under the sheets, got comfortable and turned to face out the window and away from the door, pulling the extra pillow close to his body and inhaling deeply. Yep, just as he thought... her scent was still there. He knew he probably would have gotten ragged big time if Chad saw him cuddling a pillow as he fell asleep, but at this point in time, he just didn't care. This was the closest he had gotten to holding her in almost a month. If this was all he got from now on, he'd take it.

Just as he was on the verge of drifting off to sleep, he heard the tell-tale creaking of his door and before his brain could register what was going on, he felt the weight shift on the mattress next to him and two very familiar arms tentatively wrap around his waist line. He swallowed hard, trying to keep the blood flow north.

"What are you doing?" Troy said into the darkness without turning around.

Hearing his greeting, Gabriella knew she had made a mistake. She didn't know what she had expected to be the end result from her moment of courage, but this certainly wasn't it. Instantly, her throat tightened and the tears sprang to her eyes.

"I don't know." Her voice was soft in the night, a near whisper as she fought the war of emotions that was raging inside her. The courage left her immediately, reacting to his nearly cold tone and rigid muscles.

Even though he had his back to her, Troy could still hear the hurt and tears in her voice. To a well-trained ear such as his, she was nasally from where she'd been crying.

_How long has she been crying?_ he wondered, and then immediately shook the thought from his mind. _That's not important, Troy. It's not your job to worry about her anymore._

"This is not a good idea, Gabriella." He closed his eyes as he fought the hormones raging inside him. 

"I just need to know you still love me." Her words broke his heart- again- but he knew he had to be the strong one.

"This isn't like other disagreements we've had in the past. We're separated, Gabriella. You're seeing other guys. _You_ made this decision." _Stay strong, man. Don't let her know how she's affecting you._

He heard Gabriella sniffle and swallow before she spoke again. "I..." She paused to clear her throat. "You're right. I'm sorry. I- I just couldn't go to sleep."

Gabriella felt more tears forming in her brown eyes. _Again?! Damn you, Gabriella! You can't even keep it together for five minutes tonight, can you? You know good and well that guilting him into holding you is not the way to make this work. _

Slowly, Gabriella unwrapped her arms from around him. As she slid them across his stomach, she felt his muscles contract. She always loved the feel of his bare skin but at that moment, was hurting too much to enjoy it.

She had woken up when Troy and Brendi came home- the bimbo's shrill voice could be heard fifty miles away and had the ability to wake the dead. When she heard their conversation, it became clear to her what her heart had been trying to tell her over the past few days- she wanted to turn the clock back and try to fix things between them, but she had no clue how. She pulled herself up and sat on the side of the bed for a minute, testing the waters to see if Troy would react to her leaving his bed.

When he stayed there motionless, with his back to her and the room basked in silence, Gabriella placed her hands on the mattress on either side of her body and pushed herself to stand, slowly walking to the door. She brought her hand up and rested it on the doorknob but just as she was about to turn the knob to leave, his voice broke through the tense, emotional silence.

"I _do_ still love you, Gabriella. You know that; I can't stop. But that's not the question that needs answering. The question you need to answer is whether or not _you_ still love _me_."

Instead of running back to his bed and proving to him right then and there just how much she did still love him- and hopefully put an end to the fight between her heart and her mind- Gabriella slowly walked out the door- closing it behind her- and made her way back to her room to try and cry herself to sleep again.

**TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF**

The next few days were spent with the two of them attempting to avoid each other, with the exception of only passing each other in the mornings as they were getting ready for the day and on their way out the door. In the evenings, one would be in the living room watching tv or on their computer and the other would stay locked up in their bedroom, on their computer. The tension only grew.

Finally Friday came, and Troy made the trek to the airport to pick up his parents and Chad. He spotted Lucille first- she was so excited to see her son for the first time since Christmas break that she was practically running through the terminals to baggage claim- and Chad and Jack about twenty yards behind her. Lucille was looking straight ahead, so intent on finding Troy, and not paying attention that she came close to running right past him. Had he not called out her name to stop her, she would have.

"Mom!"

"What?" she asked, jerking her head up and looking around. Finally she spotted Troy, standing ten feet in front of her, holding his hands up with the palms facing her, trying to keep her from going any further.

"Stop!" he said, chuckling. "You just about ran right into the baggage carousel."

Lucille glanced around and noticed that in her rush and excitement to find Troy, she hadn't been watching where she was going and was now two feet from falling onto the carousel. She looked into the blue eyes that reminded her so much of her husband and smiled sheepishly. "Oh, honey," she said. "I'm so sorry! I was just so excited to see you!"

Troy held his arms open and allowed his mom to walk into them. "I would have still been here in two minutes, you know. You could have at least paid attention to where you're going!"

"Yeah, like that's going to happen," Troy heard a voice that matched his. He looked up and saw his dad and Chad joining them. "That's all we heard from the thirty minute warning on the plane. 'You guys better hurry up and get off this plane! We've got to hurry and find my baby! Don't make me drag you!'" Jack told him, doing his best to imitate his wife. He received laughter from Troy and Chad, but a smack on the arm from Lucille.

"Jack Bolton! I do _not_ sound like that!"

"But you did call him your baby," Chad told her while playing with one of his fingernails.

"Well, of course I did, because that's what he is." Lucille announced to Troy's chagrin while she playfully smacked Chad on his chest before she brought her arm around Troy's neck in order to bring him into a hug easier. When she pulled away, she spotted a crumb from the doughnut that Troy snacked on at the airport coffee shop while he was waiting. She licked her thumb and reached up to wipe the corner of his mouth. "Come here, honey. You've got a crumb by your mouth."

"Mom! Seriously?!" Troy blocked Lucille's hand before she could reach said crumb and blushed furiously. "I think I'm old enough to get rid of crumbs. You don't have to spit clean me anymore!"

"Wow, honey. It's a good thing that Chad's the only one here to have witnessed that right now and not Gabriella," Jack told her, shaking his head at Lucille's antics and missing the look that passed between Troy and Chad. They boys sputtered, trying to come up with a good cover.

"Yeah, you know lately I've been on the receiving end of those spit cleans, Hoops. I won't say anything," Chad commented, recovering before Troy.

"Let's get the bags, please?" Troy begged, hoping to deflect his mother's need to baby him in public.

Jack and Lucille started to walk towards the baggage claim that corresponded with their flight while Troy pulled Chad back a few feet.

"Hey? You didn't say anything to my parents about Gabriella and all that's been going on, have you?" Troy asked him in a hushed tone as he rested his hand on Chad's shoulder.

"No, Man," Chad reassured him, shaking his head. "I didn't say anything. I didn't know what you had told them, if anything, so I just kept my mouth shut on that."

"Thanks."

"So...?" Chad prompted.

"'So' what?"

"So how are things going back at the apartment? Am I going to have to play interference or anything?"

"I don't know, Chad. Things have been... weird."

"Weird how?" Chad asked.

"I can't really explain it," Troy told him with a shrug. "It's just one of those things that you're just going to have to see for yourself."

"Are you going to tell them? I mean, don't you think they should be forewarned or something?"

Troy shook his head. "No. Gabriella knows they're coming. She knows I haven't told them yet. She and I haven't been talking much, but we did talk about that last night. I think we're both trying to be on our best behavior this week while they're out here. Not ruin their vacation and all that, you know?"

"But Maria knows?" Chad confirmed, to which Troy nodded. "Wow."

"Alright, boys! We've got them; let's go!" The sound of Lucille's voice pulled them both back to reality.

"Mama B? We're men. Not boys," Chad called after her as he and the other three made their way to the airport exit and out to Troy's truck.

**TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF**

"Mom, Dad? Do you guys want to go straight to the hotel and get checked in, or come to the apartment?" Troy asked.

"Actually, Son, if you don't mind, why don't you take us by the hotel and give us about an hour or so? You know how plane rides affect your mom," Jack told him.

"Jack Bolton! Would you please stop placing blame on me? You know good and well that you're the one that gets exhausted whenever you fly and has to take a nap. I could keep going for the rest of the day," Lucille scolded him.

"So you're saying that you want to go to the apartment with the boys and not take a nap?" Jack asked knowingly.

Lucille- knowing she was caught- folded her arms across her chest like a five year old and turned her head to look out the car window. "I didn't say that."

"That's what I thought."

Troy and Chad laughed at the elder Boltons antics. "Oh, geez," Troy said while shaking his head. "You two never quit, do you?" He directed the truck towards the hotel located in downtown San Francisco where he knew his parents had made their reservations.

After he and Chad made sure Jack and Lucille were properly checked in, had their key cards, and were settled into their room, the two left and made their way to the apartment Troy shared with Gabriella. Chad wasn't staying at the hotel with Jack and Lucille; due to the fact that he had to cut his visit short because his internship was starting the following week and he had to catch his flight to the East Coast on Sunday, Chad had planned on staying at the apartment with hopes to maximize the time he spent with Troy and Gabriella while he was in California. The original plan- when it was made three months ago- was that Chad would sleep in Gabriella's bed. However, with recent events, he was forced to settle for the couch.

When the two life-long friends arrived and the truck was parked in its proper space, Chad took advantage of his excitement in seeing Gabriella and threw the door open and was out of the vehicle before Troy even had the key out of the ignition.

"Don't worry, Dude. I'll get your bag," Troy called out as Chad ran up the sidewalk.

"Thanks, Hoops!" Chad yelled over his shoulder. When Chad reached the door, he knocked furiously and without waiting for the person on the other side to open it, he turned the knob and opened it himself.

"Gabster!" he yelled into the apartment before he was even fully in.

"Chadster!" he heard in return and within seconds, his vision was blocked by a mass of black curls as a petite body flew into his arms.

"Girl, it's been way too long!" Chad announced.

"I've missed you so much! I'm so glad you came, even if it is just for a few hours! Do you really have to go back tomorrow evening?" she asked.

"If I'm going to be back to catch my flight on Sunday afternoon to Charlotte, then yes, I probably should," Chad said as he held Gabriella back at arms' length so he could fully look at her.

"What?" Gabriella asked him with raised eyebrows when he shook his head.

"You've lost weight," he accused. "And you didn't have that much to lose to begin with."

"Yeah, would you please tell her to eat?" the third voice asked as the owner entered the room behind them. "I don't exactly have that right anymore," Troy said without actually looking at either Chad or Gabriella. In fact he turned his back on them to hide his concerned face.

"_If_ you still care, all you have to do is speak up and say something instead of avoiding-" Gabriella started, but was cut off by Chad.

"Alright, you two. None of that right now. You-" he said, pointing to Gabriella "-are taking me out to get some food. This may be the only chance I get to be alone with you. You-" he turned his attention to Troy "-are going to take my stuff to the other room and set up the couch while we're gone."

The trio went their separate ways, with Chad and Gabriella leaving the apartment in search of a late lunch and Troy staying behind with the job of getting Chad settled in.

Chad and Gabriella arrived at the restaurant that they had decided upon and got a settled in a booth in the back corner.

"Two Shock Tops, please!" Chad called out to the bartender and waited until their drinks had been delivered before the firing squad took its shots at Gabriella.

"Talk to me," he started, bringing his beer to his lips, taking a sip.

"What do you mean?"

"Gabs, you know what I mean. What's going on in your head?" Chad asked her as he watched her play with the label on her bottle.

"You mean what was going on three weeks ago, or what's going on now?"

"I know what was going on three weeks ago. You had a stupid moment and decided to listen to someone else instead of yourself. Things were going great, Gabs." Gabriella had no words to contradict what Chad was telling her. Instead, she rolled her eyes, sat back in her seat, and folded her arms across her chest. "So what's going on now?"

Gabriella looked her friend- the guy who had been like a brother to her- in the eyes and licked her lips. She took a deep breath and slowly told him a one sentence synopsis of the thoughts that had been running through her mind for the past few days. "I think I made a mistake, Chad."

"I'm going to say four words that I hardly ever say, but they're just screaming to be said in this situation. But once I say them, we're moving on. Agreed?" He watched as Gabriella nodded before he continued. "I told you so." He ducked when he saw Gabriella's napkin fly through the air, aimed perfectly for his head. "Hey!" he yelped with a chuckle. "That was mean!"

"You're supposed to be on my side!" she told him with a pout.

"Gabs, I'm on both of your sides. Troy is my oldest friend. My brother, pretty much. I've seen him go through some pretty crappy stuff in our lifetime. But I can tell you with one hundred percent certainty that absolutely nothing has ever affected him the way this has. He's been a complete mess. But on the other hand, all I had to do was talk to you on the phone a few weeks ago and I could tell how torn _you_ were over this stupid decision you made. And now, sitting here across from you, I can see in your eyes how torn up you still are over this."

"He's started dating again," she told him softly.

"She's nothing," Chad told her quickly.

"Has he told you about her?" she quietly asked. As much as she tried to deny it, she was curious about what exactly Brendi meant to Troy.

"Please!" Chad scoffed. "You are the only girl he's ever talked about. Hell, you're the only girl he _still_ talks about."

"Really?" she asked, bringing her slightly hopeful eyes up to meet Chad's.

"Yeah," Chad confirmed.

"So what do I do, Chad?"

"Talk to him."

"You make it sound so simple," she told him with a roll of her eyes before taking a sip from her beer.

"Gabriella, this is Troy we're talking about. It _is_ simple."

"What if he won't listen to me?" she asked, watching as Chad shook his head in response. She sat up in the seat on her side of the booth and placed her forearms on the table in front of her, leaning forward so as to get herself as close to Chad as she could with the table in between them. "I've had my chance with him, Chad. What if he's moved on with this other girl and it's too late and I've missed my chance to make things right?"

"Gabriella, look at me," Chad started, pausing to make sure he had her attention. He thought back to a conversation between her and Troy that he had told him about several years before and hoped his next words would hit home with her; he wanted to make sure she was really paying attention to him.

"What happened to kindergarten?"


	21. Busted!

**Chapter 21: Busted!**

The next morning, Troy awoke an hour before his alarm went off. This was a big day for him and he knew getting adequate rest was important, but for some reason, he found himself sitting upright in bed and reaching over to turn off the alarm before the annoying buzzing could shatter the silence. He set his feet on the floor and quickly took the few long strides to the closet, flung the door open, and just knew he'd see the long black robe that he was supposed to be wearing in a few hours hanging on the inside hook. However, when it wasn't there, he quickly became frantic.

"Ohhhh... That's not good," he muttered to himself. "I left it hanging right here. Where could it be?" Troy began searching through the clothes hanging on the rack, hoping that it was there. "Did I move it and forget?" He continued his search for another minute before giving up on searching through his own closet and emerged from his room to look in the coat closet next to the front door. As he crossed through the living room, he spotted Gabriella standing in front of the refrigerator, with his robe hanging in front of her.

"Oh, thank god! There it is!" he exclaimed. "What are you doing?" he asked, unable to hide the accusing tone.

"Good morning to you, too," she said, trying to keep away the hurt she felt over his greeting. "I'm steaming your graduation robe," she said. "And keep your voice down a little. Chad's still asleep." She pointed the iron in the direction of the couch where their friend was sprawled out- barely covered by the blanket, but covered nonetheless, to Gabriella's gratitude- before slowly dragging it down the front of the robe again.

"Why are you doing that?" he asked, nodding in the direction of the robe.

"Because I knew it wouldn't get done by you and you'll look a hot mess if it's not."

"You don't need to do that," he told her with his fists balled, battling his emotions already. His meaning was not lost on Gabriella; neither was his tone. She put the iron down on the counter with a _thud_, picked up her coffee cup, and started to walk away.

"Fine."

"Dude, you're such an ass." The sound of the third voice caught the attention of the sniveling duo and they both turned to face Chad. "Just say thank you and shut up about it. You know she's right but your damn pride won't let you admit it because you hate being wrong."

Gabriella put her coffee cup back down on the counter and folded her arms across her chest, giving Troy a pointed look. Finally, he conceded, but not before rolling his eyes like a five year old who just got in trouble by Mommy.

"Thank you," he mumbled, barely audible. "I'm going to get in the shower."

When Troy was back in his bedroom and the door was closed behind him, Chad turned to face Gabriella, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Coffee?" she asked him as she tried to shake off the emotional last few minutes.

"You're my savior," he told her, reaching for the cup she was holding out to him, receiving a small smile from her in return. "Are you okay?" he asked after he took his first sip and as she picked the iron back up.

"Me? Yeah, I'm fine. I've gotten used to that," she assured him, pointing the iron in the direction of Troy's bedroom door.

"Number one, you shouldn't have to get used to that. I've been on the receiving end of that before; it's not pretty after a while. Number two, I know you're lying and you're not fine. I can see it in your eyes; _that_" he said as he pointed at Troy's closed bedroom door "hurt. Hell, it hurt me listening to him talk to you like that. But I'm going to let it go and say 'whatever'. Now, with that being said, I'm going to use your shower- if it's okay- while he's using that one."

"Yeah, that's fine," she told him as she turned her attention back to Troy's robe. Chad watched her for a second before tentatively voicing the one question that had been burning in his mind since the night before when the two of them had their talk over dinner.

"Hey, Gabster?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you still coming to the graduation today?" He watched as she drew in a deep breath, pulled the iron away from the robe, lowered her eyes to the floor, and chewed on her lower lip. Slowly, she lifted her eyes to meet his.

"I don't know, Chad. I really want to be there and probably should be to keep up pretenses- Jack and Lucille don't know about us... not that I know of anyway- but I don't know if I'll be welcomed or not."

He came back to her and wrapped her in his arms- giving her a tight hug while being weary of the hot iron still in her hands- and leaned down to place a gentle kiss to the top of her head.

"You'll always be welcomed, even if he won't say it. He wants you there today. Deep down, he'll always want you around."

**TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF**

Despite all their arguments over the past few weeks, Gabriella did still love Troy and was still proud of him. The two of them had made this journey together and she knew that he had worked extremely hard over the past four years, struggling to juggle his classes, basketball, and theatre. There had been many long nights in the theatre or gym, many all-nighters with the books, many arguments- especially during their first year as they each put in equal effort to find their niche and attempted to figure out how to fit a relationship into their ever hectic schedules- and she was looking forward to watching him walk across that stage and cheering for him when his name was called.

It was a hard decision to make, but she thought hard about what Chad had told her that morning and asked herself what she would want Troy to do when it came time for her own graduation the following week. The answer was simple: she wanted him there. So there she sat a few hours later, with her lifeline in the physical form of her mom on her right, as they sat next to the aisle so she could make a quick escape as soon as the ceremony was over.

She opted to not sit with his parents and Chad, knowing they would be scanning the crowd looking for her. It wasn't long before she could feel Jack's eye burning a hole in the left side of her body as she looked through her copy of the program. Lucille could sense her husband's attention shift elsewhere and looked up from her own copy of the program and followed his gaze, spotting Gabriella several yards away and a few rows in front of them. Jack- oblivious to the goings-on in his son's personal life- dared to broach the subject with his wife.

"Hey, Luce, isn't that Gabriella and Maria sitting over there, near the aisle?" he asked. When Chad heard that question, his attention immediately turned from the program in his hands to the conversation going on between his former coach his second mom.

Lucille looked to where he was pointing. "Yeah, it is. I was wondering where they were and why they weren't not sitting with us. That's odd." It was at that moment that Gabriella chanced a look around the arena and spotted the two of them looking at her. She quickly jerked her head back down to stare at her program, but not before Jack spotted her red eyes.

"Does she look like she's been crying to you?"

"It takes you days to notice when I've been crying and we sleep next to each other. How can you tell that she's been crying from 100 feet away when you can't even see her face?" Lucille asked him.

"Uh… um… father's intuition?" Jack tried sheepishly, hoping it sounded convincing. Chad snickered beside him, enjoying the show.

"Nice try," Lucille said, smacking Jack on the arm with her program. "Why don't you go talk to her?"

"Why me?" Jack asked her, suddenly feeling three feet smaller at the thought of facing the young lady, especially when she had evidently been crying. "You're the woman. You'd know what to say to her."

"Jack Bolton! You've always been like a father to her and you know it! Now get up and go play 'Daddy' to our son's girlfriend before the ceremony starts!" she commanded him.

"Fine," Jack mumbled under his breath. He took a deep breath, hesitantly rose from his seat and made his way over to the Montez women, trying to work out the right words to say in his mind.

"Hello, ladies," he greeted them.

"Jack! Hello!" Maria said, standing to give him a hug in greeting.

Gabriella was studying the program intently- it was something for her to focus on other than the butterflies flying around in her stomach- when she heard his voice. She knew who the voice belonged to; she didn't even have to look up and was thankful to her mother for speaking first. It gave her a chance to find her voice. She took a deep breath to try and calm herself, reached up to wipe her eyes quickly before looking at him- hoping he wouldn't notice- and quickly plastered a fake smile on her face. "Hey, Coach!"

Jack took a step back in shock as he noticed the dark circles and puffiness of her eyes. "Wow. Gabriella, um… Sweetheart, if you don't mind me asking, is everything okay?"

Gabriella opened her mouth to assure him that she was fine, but was overcome with emotion at the care her "dad" was showing to her. As Jack noticed her lip start to quiver, he knelt down next to her and draped his left arm over her shoulder.

"Why don't the two of you come sit with Chad, Lucille, and me? There's plenty of room," he told them as he gestured over his shoulder in the direction to where Chad and Lucille were still sitting, watching the show.

"Um, no," Gabriella told him in a soft voice. "Thank you, but I've got to leave immediately after. I've got a study group to get to."

Jack didn't buy this for a minute. He knew her own graduation was the following weekend- he and Lucille had arranged their vacation so they could stay in San Francisco the entire week so they could attend both ceremonies. He shot a questioning look in Maria's direction, who merely shrugged her shoulders in response. "Um, okay. Sure. Then I guess we'll see you two back at the apartment later?"

"Yeah, we'll see you guys later," Gabriella told him, placing her fake smile back on her face.

Jack returned to his seat, reporting to Lucille about the conversation between him and Gabriella.

"Something's not right, Jack," Lucille told him, before turning her attention to the young man beside her. "Chad, do you know anything about what's going on? You stayed at the apartment last night. Has Troy told you anything?"

"Hmmm?" Chad asked as he quickly wracked his brain to come up with an excuse. "I'm sorry, Mrs. B, what did you say?"

"You know something don't you? Gabriella wouldn't sit by herself just to make a quick exit. She's avoiding us for a reason and you know why. So spill it, Charles David Danforth. What's going on between my other two children?!"

"Mom, I –" Chad's eyes widened knowing he couldn't hide the truth from this parental figure any easier than from his birth mother. With a long breath his eyes softened and he looked directly into Lucille's. "You're right. There is something up between them. Chalk it up to what their futures hold, but I think it's something you should talk to them about. Both of them."

Lucille nodded and sighed. "Young love. I knew it. When we didn't see her last night, Troy was making excuses. And now this? Why would he not tell us? Jack, I think you need to talk to your son."

"My son? He and his girlfriend have an argument-"

"An _apparent_ argument," Lucille interrupted him. "Why are you always jumping to conclusions?"

"Fine. An _apparent_ argument," he repeated, mockingly. "They have an _apparent_ argument and suddenly he's _my_ son? When is he your son?"

Chad listened intently to the teasing bickering back and forth between the Boltons. Even with the slightly serious air he laughed and placed a hand on his former coach's shoulder. "Hey, Coach? I think it's becoming a losing battle."

"Hush, son," Jack Bolton told him with the hint of a smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. "Let me have my fun."

The conversation was put on hold as the beginning chords of _Pomp and Circumstance_ sounded over the sound system of the stadium. The trio joined the rest of the crowd in standing and Lucille spoke to Jack as she kept her attention focused on the sea of black, her eyes scanning the crowd as she searched for Troy.

"He's my son for the next two hours. Now stop talking and pay attention."

Jack and Chad chuckled and each faced forward, doing their own search for Troy. Finally, Chad was the first to spot him. "Hey, Coach, Mama B? There he is!" Troy's parents looked in the direction that Chad was pointing, spotted Troy looking at them with a big grin on his face, and waved.

They watched as he continued walking past their row and noticed the change in his expression a few seconds later when he spotted Gabriella and Maria. He gave Gabriella a small, yet tentative smile as he passed her, too.

**TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF**

After the ceremony, before the trio could find Troy, they watched as Gabriella quickly stood from her seat and walked out of the stadium alone. Maria also stood from her spot and after casting a hesitant glance over her shoulder at the Boltons and Chad and giving an apologetic smile and a small wave, followed suite. Two members of the group thought this was odd; the third member secretly pulled his phone from his pocket and shot off a quick text.

_you don't have a study group. they know you're lying, you dirty little sneak ;)_

A moment later, his phone buzzed with a response: _Yeah, so I'm busted. Thanks for the warning. Now what?_

_So... now you take care of yourself. I'll talk to you soon to check in. Congrats on next weekend _was his response, followed by a _Congrats again to you, too, on your internship. You've come a long way! _from her.

"There he is!" Lucille cried out, bringing Chad's attention back to the situation at hand. He quickly stuffed his phone back in his pocket before it was noticed by the parents. "Wait, who's that with him?"

They spotted Troy walking in their direction, with an unfamiliar red head beside him. She had her arms wrapped around his waist in a closeness that the three of them had only seen between him and Gabriella in the past while Troy kept his arms by his side and his stance tense. Confused looks were passed between the three of them as he came closer.

"Oh, crap," Chad mumbled to himself, allowing his eyes to grow wide as the apparent truth of her identity started to dawn on him.

"Son, congratulations," Jack greeted him first, reaching out to give him a manly hug.

"Thanks, Dad!" Troy said. "Hey, Mom." He leaned in to give Lucille a hug and a kiss on her cheek.

"I'm so proud of you!" she cried, as she reached up to wipe at her eyes.

"Thank you!" he exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear. "Chad!" Troy turned to face his friend- his brother- and they shared a fist pump with each other followed by the secret handshake they developed when they were eight.

"Hoops!" he responded, as per their life time tradition.

"Hey, have you guys thought about where you want to take me for lunch?" Troy asked his parents.

Jack shook his head in response. "Your big day, your choice," he told his son.

"Gabriella's coming, right?" Lucille asked him knowingly as she gazed at the red headed young lady. Brendi had detached herself from Troy only long enough for him to share the hugs that were given. After that she was again attached to him like he was her life source.

Never mind tact; Lucille knew exactly what she was doing when she brought Gabriella's name into the conversation. Jack's confusing interaction with Gabriella before the ceremony gave her an idea who young lady was, but Troy's mother wouldn't admit it- neither to herself nor verbally- until it was confirmed by Troy and Gabriella. Perhaps even then she'd still be in denial about this _other_ _woman_.

Troy rubbed the back of his neck nervously at the mention of Gabriella. "Um, no. Actually, she's not. She's going out with some friends. Her last exam was yesterday so it's kind of a celebration or something, I think."

"Really?" Jack asked, very obviously confused. _Study group my ass,_ he thought to himself.

"Yeah. But hey, um, is it okay if Brendi joins us?" he asked as he reached down to grab her hand and pull her forward to meet his Mom and Dad and Chad. Jack and Lucille stood there stunned as Chad shook his head.

Jack cleared his throat and spoke up first, knowing that Lucille must be steaming on the inside and would more than likely say the wrong thing if she attempted to speak at that moment.

"Of course. Brendi, it's nice to meet you. I'm Jack Bolton, Troy's dad," he told her as he reached out to politely shake her hand. "This is my wife Lucille." Lucille offered Brendi a tight lipped smile and crossed her arms across her chest, refusing to shake her hand. She stood there rooted to her spot, eyeballing her son during the whole exchange. Troy was very aware of his mother's glare and shifted nervously- purposefully avoiding his mom's stare- in his spot while the group discussed restaurant options.

**TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF**

Once seated at their table in the corner of the restaurant that Troy chose and the orders had been placed, Lucille spoke up for the first time since greeting Troy after the ceremony.

"Brendi," she paused to swallow her disgust at her son's friend's name, "how do you know Troy?" When she received a confused look from Brendi, she continued. "Are you a friend of Gabriella's? Is she tutoring you? You know, Troy wouldn't have made it through his senior year of high school without her help."

"Um, no," she said pointedly. "I'm a cheerleader for the Bears and my cousin's boyfriend is on the basketball team. That's how me and Troy-Bear met." Chad choked on and almost spewed his beer across the table at the sound of the nickname and Troy closed his eyes in embarrassment.

"Troy and I," Lucille mumbled under her breath.

"What?" a very confused Brendi asked.

"Mom…" Troy warned lowly.

Lucille bypassed her son's warning and continued. "Troy, why wasn't Gabriella at your graduation?" She wasn't ready to disclose that they knew she was there. She wanted to wait until they were alone to let him know that he had been busted in a lie. Jack and Chad sat back in their seats- almost afraid to interrupt-, enjoying the show and waiting to see where Lucille was going to take the conversation. "The two of you have been each others' biggest supporters through the past five and a half years. I can't imagine that either one of you would have missed this day for the other."

"Mom, enough," Troy tried again.

And again Lucille pushed forward. "You are going to Gabriella's graduation next weekend, right?"

"Dad? Please?" Troy asked, looking in his father's direction. Jack raised his eyebrows and lifted his glass to his lips, taking a sip, and gave Troy a look that very plainly said "Are you serious?".

"How did Gabriella do on her LSATs? Maria told us that she was accepted to UCSF for their law school program. Wasn't Gabriella also going to apply at U of A? Has she heard from them yet?" Lucille continued bombarding Troy with questions about Gabriella. If she knew her son, it wouldn't be much longer before they had the answers they were itching to get.

"What's the deal with this Gabriella person?" Brendi asked as she leaned over and gave a very tense, very stoic Troy a kiss on his cheek, leaving red lipstick marks. As she began to smear them more with her thumb she continued, "Who is she, your sister?" It was Jack's turn to choke on his drink while Lucille rolled her eyes in annoyance at this Brendi girl. Chad- who was thoroughly enjoying the scene as it unfolded before his eyes- laughed.

Lucille shifted her stare in Brendi's direction. "She better not be after the things his father and I have walked in on the two of them doing. Not to mention what we _almost_ walked in on, on several occasions."

"What?" Brendi asked, confused again.

Finally, Troy snapped. "Mom! That's enough! Please stop! Brendi, would you please go get me a coke?"

"But you have a one right there," she pointed out.

Troy sighed and rubbed his hand across his forehead. "Just, please...Please will you get me another drink?"

"Um, sure I will, Troy-Bear." She leaned over again and gave him another kiss. When she stood from her seat, Troy immediately started wiping at the marks left behind and chanced a look in his mother's direction. Troy and Chad had been in trouble enough times in their lives with both sets of parents that they each had a pretty good idea of what was going through Lucille's mind at that moment.

"Dude, seriously?" Chad asked. When he turned his attention to Lucille's direction, he could read her eyes and knew that she was silently fuming on the inside and made a quick decision in that moment. "I'm going to the restroom. I'll be back," he announced and stood from his seat as well. "Or maybe I'll help _Brendi_ get us all some extra water..."

Once Brendi and Chad were gone and the coast was clear, Lucille started into a new line of questioning, careful to keep her voice low in hopes of not drawing attention to their private family discussion.

"Enough games from both of you. Spill it now, Troy. Where's Gabriella? We all know she would be here - she _should_ be here - instead of this...this… airhead! What in the world is going on?"

During Lucille's questioning, Troy had propped his elbows up on the table and held his hands together in a fist in front of his mouth. Even through her low tone, Troy knew the seriousness in her words. The fire in her eyes forced him to sheepishly look down at his bread in embarrassment and mumble his answer to the question. "We're taking a break."

Jack and Lucille sat in stunned silence. The two shared a look before Jack shifted in his seat, cleared his throat, and spoke up. "I'm sorry? Did you say 'taking a break'? Did I seriously just hear that come from your mouth?" When Troy slowly nodded- still not bringing his eyes up to meet his parents'- Jack continued. "Whose brilliant idea was that? And since Gabriella is obviously absent from this table, I use the word 'brilliant' _very_ lightly."

"Taylor's," Troy told them softly.

"I'm sorry, but what does Taylor have to do with you two?" Lucille asked. "She's all the way in Connecticut."

Troy looked at both of his parents, took a deep breath, and started explaining as much of the story as he thought would be enough. "She came out here back in March for her Spring Break and somehow managed to convince Gabriella that since I haven't proposed to her yet that maybe I didn't truly love her. And before I could even get back into the same state she had set Brie up on a date with some guy." Apparently, that little bit wasn't enough for Lucille.

"And Gabriella agreed?" she asked, confused and not wanting to believe what her son was saying.

Troy shook his head. "Not willingly... not at first, at least. Look can we not get into this here? I'll tell you guys everything, I promise. I just- I don't want to get into it in public," he said, turning now weary, pleading eyes to meet those of his parents.

"I think that's a good idea," Jack said, nodding his agreement. "This is neither the time nor the place. But Troy, before we drop this, for now, your mother and I have to know one thing." He took that second to sit forward in his seat, leaning across the table at Troy and Troy followed suit. "How much does this Brendi girl really mean to you?"

Troy let out a tired sigh that Jack and Lucille both could tell held the full weight of the past month and locked stares with his father before sharing his sad admission with him. "She's just... she's been a distraction during all of this. She's not Gabriella."

Jack nodded, understanding the turmoil going on in Troy's head and heart. "Let's eat and then ditch your _date," _Jack rolled his eyes in his own round of annoyance, "and then we'll take Chad to the airport. 'Cause Son," he pointed his finger in Troy's direction, "we need to get into this somewhere... and I think it ought to be somewhere with Gabriella present. The two of you haven't invested the last five and a half years of your lives in each other just so you can take a break now."

"Yes, Sir," Troy agreed as they spotted Chad making his way back to the table with Brendi not far behind.


	22. Intervention

**Chapter 22: Intervention**

The group ate their meal in relative silence- except for Chad who continually tried to fill the void of uncomfortable silence between the Boltons and Brendi, who was clueless to the uneasiness- and left the restaurant. Troy gave his parents his key to the apartment and told them to wait there while he took Brendi back to her dorm, with Chad riding along so Troy could take him to the airport as well.

When Jack and Lucille arrived, they were greeted by an empty apartment. Lucille took it upon herself to look around while Jack used the restroom, trying to find any clue she could to put the pieces together in the puzzle of Troy and Gabriella's crumbling relationship. As Jack was coming back into the living room, he spotted a piece of paper on the normally clutter-free coffee table. He picked it up so he could take a closer look at it.

"Hey, Luce. Come here and take a look at this," he called out to his wife, after he read the note. He handed it over to her when she came into the room and stood beside him.

"_T-Went to run some errands and then to the gym._ _Should be back by 4:00._ _Enjoy the day with your parents._ _-G_," Lucille read out loud. "Huh," she said. "So apparently she's not planning on being here with us today." She creased her eyebrows in motherly fashion and looked at her husband.

"Ouch! Well, that hurts," Jack pouted. "That's not like her," he pointed out with a second thought.

"Well, little does she know that you and I will still be here at 4:00."

"Lucille, do you think that it's a good idea for us to meddle in their relationship? It seems to me like we should let them work this out." He received a glare in response and knew he was fighting a losing battle. If one was to meddle in their son's life, Lucille would be the first in line. Jack held his hands up in surrender, letting out an exasperated sigh. "Fine. We'll be here."

An hour and a half after they sat down on the couch and turned on the television- Jack softly dozing while Lucille watched an old black and white movie on TCM-, the door opened and Troy walked in. Lucille filled Troy in on the note they found and after Troy woke his dad, the two men in her life decided to go out to the court located toward the front of the complex, leaving Lucille behind.

"Dear, are you sure you don't want to come?" Jack asked her.

"You two go," she told them. "I know you want it to be a guy's game. I'll stay here and finish my movie. Besides, I want to talk to Gabriella when she gets here."

"Mom, don't meddle. Please?" Troy begged her. Lucille picked up on the panic in her son's voice and stood from her place on the couch then crossed the room to stand in front of him. She brought her hand up to his face, standing on her tip-toes to kiss him gently on the cheek.

"Honey, I won't meddle. I promise. I just want to talk to her, woman to woman."

Troy saw the seriousness in his mother's eyes and relented. "Alright. Dad, let me grab some clothes for you real quick and as soon as we change, we can go down."

**TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF**

A few minutes before 4, Lucille heard the door open and glanced up from the television screen to see a shell-shocked Gabriella standing in the door way.

"Lucille? I- Um, I didn't think anyone would be here," she said, uncertainty and nerves evident in her voice.

"The guys went to the park to play ball. They've been gone about half an hour, so that gives us plenty of time," Lucille told her.

"Time for what?"

Lucille noticed the timidity in Gabriella's voice and watched as she fiddled with the keys in her hands. Lucille knew that was a nervous trait of Gabriella's- fiddling with her hands; she'd witnessed it many times in the past few years since Gabriella had practically joined the Bolton family. The one time that really stuck out in Lucille's mind was the kids' graduation day from East High, when Gabriella was about to go on stage to give her valedictorian speech. Instantly, her heart went out to the young woman.

_Here she is, just trying to find her place in the madness of life and she probably thinks Jack and I are upset at her, _she thought to herself.

Lucille softly patted the couch cushion next to her. "Gabriella, honey, come sit down. I want to talk to you before the guys get back."

Gabriella averted her eyes- she knew what Lucille wanted to talk about- and nibbled on her lip. She slowly made her way over to the couch and sat down, playing with the top of her water bottle to ease her nerves. "What do you want to talk about?" she asked, shyly bringing her eyes up to look at the face of the woman who had been like a second mother to her for several years.

Lucille offered a small smile. "Honey, you're an extremely brilliant young woman. Playing the naive role doesn't look good on you. You know what I'm referring to, don't you?" Gabriella lowered her eyes to her lap and nodded her head. "Good. Why don't you tell me what happened? I've heard Troy's side; now I want to hear yours."

Gabriella swallowed and took a long breath, let it out slowly, and then started telling Lucille the story. "When Taylor was here, I had a meeting with my study group and she came with me. There was a guy there who's been in most of my classes and study groups... just basically a friend of mine. He had asked me out once and I told him I had a boyfriend, and he kept asking me out after that- just teasingly, of course, especially after he saw a picture of Troy for the first time- probably once a week. _'When's it going to be my turn?'_ he would ask me. It kind of became an ongoing joke between the two of us.

"Well, he asked me out again that night of our study group while Taylor was here and she questioned me about it. I made the mistake of telling her about him and then she started mentioning all this stuff about how attractive I am, how I have all these guys falling at my feet, I'm being unfair by not paying attention to them, and how do I even know that Troy is 'the one' that I want to spend the rest of my life with. She told me that I shouldn't wait around for someone who obviously doesn't feel the same way. I argued back that yes, he does, and she then threw the non-engagement back at me. _'If he really loved you, he would have proposed by now,'_ she kept saying. I called Troy and told him about all this- I guess mainly to calm myself down and maybe try to hear some sort of confirmation in his voice- and we ended up sort of arguing over the phone." She paused to take a deep breath and get a sip of water, swallowing the lump that was forming as she thought back to all of the emotions that she felt during those few days.

"This was while Troy was at the tournament in Georgia, wasn't it?" Lucille verified as she gently ran a hand down the back of Gabriella's French braid, trying to pass some comfort on to the young woman sitting on the couch beside her. "Then what happened?" she softly prompted following Gabriella's nod of confirmation.

"Troy and I kind of reached an agreement to leave the topic alone and we would talk about it more when he got home," Gabriella told her, playing with her water bottle some more. She lifted her eyes to focus on a spot on the wall opposite her and took another breath to calm her emotions before continuing. "Although, I kind of broke that promise to him."

"What promise was that?" Lucille was careful to keep her voice soft, calm, and level. She wanted Gabriella to feel comfortable talking to her, not like she was choosing sides.

"I promised him that I would wait until he got home and we could finish talking about it then. But things didn't happen that way. I allowed Taylor to talk me into a lunch date with Davis. It was the same day Troy was getting home," she shrugged sadly, "I thought I'd be back here before Troy. But he was earlier than I expected." She took a deep breath before continuing. "When Troy got home, he saw Davis and I getting home from our lunch before I had the chance to talk to him first. We argued, of course. He packed a bag and left. I stayed at Mom's and he stayed with Andy and Matt. That was when Taylor left, too." Gabriella felt her composure failing miserably.

"What happened after that? Fast forward to the break up."

Gabriella found herself fighting the tears that had long since formed. "I um... I talked to Sharpay one evening-"

"Oh, honey!" Lucille said with a small chuckle. "_Sharpay_? Really?"

Gabriella smiled slightly through her tears at Lucille's reaction and gave a small nod of confirmation. "Yes, really! But she did give me some advice. Some _good_ advice, believe it or not." She proceeded to tell Lucille about her conversation with Sharpay and how her advice made Gabriella realize that she did indeed need to take that step for her own well being.

"So what did Troy say to that?"

"Um… basically, we just decided that we need to take some time and figure out where we stand with each other," Gabriella told her with a trembling voice. "It was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do and he was just so supportive. That made it even harder- seeing the pain in his eyes but hearing him say that he understood." Lucille gave her a small sympathetic smile. "Well, he understood at first, anyway," Gabriella continued under her breath.

"I can only imagine how hard that must have been. And you decided to stay here in the apartment, even after you broke up with him?"

Gabriella nodded. "Only for financial reasons. It wouldn't have been fair to leave him with all the bills and rent and stuff after we worked our monthly budgets accordingly. But Lucille, it's been awful around here. We haven't even seen each other much since then. I get up in the morning and most times he's already gone. He comes home at night and I've already fallen asleep. He has been here as I'm getting ready and leaving for the few dates I've been on. He's been very sarcastic the whole time and I think he may have gotten drunk, or at least tipsy. I came home one night and saw about five or six beer bottles in the living room. He won't talk to me, he won't look at me. Not unless he has to, anyway. It's like I'm basically dead to him." Gabriella paused and looked fully at Lucille through the tears that clouded her vision. "I know it's all my fault, but I miss him, Lucille."

Lucille took Gabriella in her arms and held her, stroking her hair the way she knew Maria would do, while her "daughter" sobbed in her arms. "I know you do, Sweetie. I know you do."

Lucille let her cry for a few minutes before speaking again.

"Gabriella?" Lucille nibbled somewhat nervously on her own bottom lip for a moment. When the young lady in her arms quieted her tears, Lucille asked the question that she really needed to have answered. "Between Troy's attitude shift, and the dates you've had, please forgive me for being blunt, but I just... It has to be asked before I proceed with what I want to tell you."

Gabriella sniffled and mumbled a quiet "Ma'am?". Only then did Lucille continue.

"Do… do you still love my son?" Lucille carefully posed her question.

Gabriella froze in her arms. The silent tears dripped down her cheeks as Lucille's question lodged in her mind and heart. She breathed shallowly as she thought about the answer. Then again, she didn't have to think. Gabriella pressed her lips together. The silent moments were only additional seconds to confirm what she had known all along. No matter how many dates she experienced, or the hours that Troy spent ignoring her while sitting right beside her… It didn't even matter that he might parade any number of women through that apartment to show her that he could also find other 'dates'. The truth was that her feelings hadn't changed at all – except now she loved him more.

"Yes," Gabriella whispered loud enough to make Lucille breathe a sigh of relief and smile, "I do still love him. Maybe even more than I already did."

The two passed another few silent moments sharing their mother/daughter embrace.

"Can I tell you something?" Lucille pressed her lips to the top of Gabriella's head for a gentle kiss before continuing in her non-meddling/meddling mission. "Troy and this airhead bimbo went to lunch with Jack and I today. He was missing something."

"What?" Gabriella asked in a muffled voice, with her head buried in Lucille's chest.

"The sparkle that has been in my son's eyes for the past five and a half years is what was missing. The way he looked at this girl- it wasn't the same. His eyes were very vacant and he talked _at_ her, not _to_ her." Lucille paused and gently pulled Gabriella away from her bosom so that she could look the young lady in the eyes. "He misses you, too, Sweetheart. He may not say it directly, but he does. You know he does. And you know that's why he's acting this way. May I give you some advice?" she asked, and continued when Gabriella nodded.

"If he's anything like Jack, give him time. I understand what Taylor was trying to do – trying to make you think. But _you_ know Troy, Taylor doesn't. Not like you do. He's scared of making such a huge commitment because he knows it's not just him that it will affect. He's thinking about the future for both of you. I guarantee it. Jack went through something similar a few months before he proposed to me. Give Troy time. He'll figure out his priorities soon. He's a very practical person and has to see things from every angle before making a final decision. Remember when he decided to come here for school? It took almost losing you. Gabriella, Sweetie, I don't think it'll be long before he realizes what an incredible woman he will be getting as a partner. But you both know marriage – even getting engaged – is a huge step. Just give him some time."

Her heart broke to see Gabriella so broken, but she hoped that what she just told her may have given her some comfort. "Besides I think Jack may pound some sense into him with a basketball if he has to," she added with a wink at the dark haired young lady in her arms, and placed a second kiss to the top of her head.

"I'm sorry you and Coach have to be here to see this," Gabriella said with a sniffle.

Lucille looked at her, shocked that she would have even said such a thing. "What, and miss both our kids' graduations from college? We wouldn't do that!" Gabriella chuckled and gave a small smile, causing Lucille to hug her tighter. "There's that beautiful smile we've missed! I'm just glad I can be here for you. And don't you worry, Jack and I will play interference if we need to while we're here. Where's Maria? I thought Jack said she was sitting with you at the ceremony?"

"She was, but she left about fifteen minutes or so before it ended. She's traveling this week," Gabriella told her as she leaned forward and snagged a tissue off the coffee table. "She'll be back Thursday evening, just in time for my graduation next Saturday."

**TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF**

While the two ladies were back at the apartment visiting with each other- although Troy knew that despite his mother's promise, she was indeed meddling- the father/ son duo were busy getting lost in their ritual of a two-on-two game of basketball. During the first half of the game, Jack was letting Troy play to let out the frustrations that Jack knew were hidden deep inside his son's psyche. But after their first five minute water break, Troy began playing much harder and causing Jack to work harder to keep up with him. Jack was still in good shape for his age, but had been warned by his doctor to start taking things slow. He was beginning to wonder if the heavy breathing that he was currently doing would be considered "taking it slow" until Troy broke the long standing "no talking during two-on-two" rule the two Bolton men had instated long ago.

"Taylor has successfully screwed up my entire plan and basically taken away my whole life in the process," Troy told his father as he wiped his sweaty face on the towel he brought with him.

"What plan?" Jack asked, catching his breath while twisting the top back on the water bottle he held in his hands.

"Proposing to Gabriella," Troy answered, avoiding his father's raised eyebrows and slightly stunned, flushed face. He set the towel across the back of the bench and picked the ball back up again and walked over to the free throw line, lining up his shot. "I have a way that I want to do it. I don't want Gabriella to have any questions about where we are going to be after graduation." He took the shot and caught the ball when it bounced off the backboard instead of going in the net. "I want us to be settled and for her to know that I will make a life wherever she is. Albuquerque, Alaska... China... I don't care! I just want to be with her!"

"Have you told her this?" Jack asked, receiving a glare from Troy. "Okay, dumb question. Continue..."

Jack watched as Troy lined up another shot... and missed. He knew that Troy only missed his shots when something was really bothering him and the only solution was to just let him go at it.

"I've got Maria's engagement ring."

Jack raised his eyes in surprise as he caught the ball. "I- I'm sorry... You have what?"

Troy turned to face him and raised his hands in defeat. "I know. I- I should've told you and Mom, but-" He sighed as he walked to stand in front of his dad and crossed his arms across his chest. " A while ago, I asked Maria for her permission to marry Gabriella. I'm amazed in all of this that she - that Maria, I mean - that she didn't say anything to Gabriella or to you guys. She gave me her engagement ring."

"Then I guess you have her permission, huh?" Jack snorted.

"Yeah." Troy nodded before taking the ball from Jack's hands and walking back over to the free throw line. "Except now I don't know if that's what Gabriella wants or not."

Jack watched as his son took the shot and- once again- missed. "Have you tried finding out?"

Troy threw an exasperated look in his dad's direction and threw his hands in the air. "She's going out with other guys, Dad! We haven't had a real conversation in weeks." He sighed as he turned to face the basket once more. "It's like I'm living with a total stranger."

Jack caught the ball from another missed shot and looked at his hurting son. "No, Troy, you're living with a young lady who is head-smart, but has a fragile heart. I bet she's scared to death about the graduations and wondering if you'll still love her if her future takes her across the country again."

"Our future," Troy mumbled as he walked back over to the bench and picked up his water bottle.

"What?"

"It's not just supposed to be _her_ future, Dad. It's supposed to be _our_ future. Why doesn't she get that?" He sat down on the bench and took a drink. Jack slowly walked over to the bench and stood in front of his son . He stood with his hands on his hips and took in Troy's appearance. "Because you haven't given her any indication." "Like hell I haven't!" Troy snapped, standing so he could look his father in the eyes. "What have the last five years been? Every time we think about graduating and talking about what kinds of jobs we want... What the hell has it meant when we've talked about waiting a few years to have kids and how we'd like to finally get out of an apartment and have a house of our own, so we can have a back yard for them to play in? How is that not giving her any indication?" Jack couldn't hide the grin that slowly made its way onto his face. "You've talked about having kids already?" he asked. "Really not your business, but yes, Dad, we have," Troy told him with a huff. Jack took a step closer to Troy and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Then quit stalling, son, and propose to the girl! I'd love to see my grandchildren before I'm eighty, you know?" he said, smirking. Troy rolled his eyes. "That is _so_ not what this conversation is about, Dad." Jack looked Troy in the eyes, making sure that he had his son's full attention and took a deep breath. "Troy, what are you waiting for, Son? You love her. You want a life with her. You want to have children with her and a home. I know you want things to be in order and you have a plan… but are you risking losing the girl you love in the process?" He watched Troy's resolve weaken at that thought. "So again I ask you... _what_ _are you waiting for_?" **TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF**

The two ladies sat on the couch, enjoying each others' company and watching television, before the two guys came back in a short time later. They were both sweating and still out of breath and went straight to the kitchen, each grabbing a water bottle out of the pantry.

"What have you two been up to?" Jack asked, as he leaned down to place a kiss to Lucille's cheek.

"We've just been visiting with each other. Catching up and _whatnot_," Lucille told him. She lifted her gaze and looked in Troy's direction in the kitchen. Their eyes met and she gave him a knowing look. Troy let out an exasperated sigh and exited the kitchen.

All four of them could feel the tension in the room as Troy and Gabriella still avoided saying anything to the other. "I'm going to get a shower," Troy announced after another moment. . "Mom, how about a dinner date, just you and me?"

Lucille offered Gabriella a soft smile before turning in Troy's direction. "I'd like that very much, Troy," she said with a smile at her son. Jack looked at the two ladies sitting on the couch and focused his attention on the younger of the two.

"Well?" he said.

"Well, what?" Gabriella questioned.

"If the two of them are going out tonight, that leaves you and I here together."

"Oh," she said softly, glancing between Jack and Lucille. "Actually, J-Jack, I can make myself scarce if you would rather. I'm sure there's an empty spot in the library that I can occupy and work on job applications for a while..." She stopped when the sound of a scoff escaped Troy's mouth.

"Don't be silly!" Lucille told her, while sending a scolding look in her son's direction, only to have him roll his eyes in response. "We came to spend time with _both_ of you – despite the current circumstances. I've had a little one on one time with you, now it's Jack's turn."

Gabriella gave a small smile. "Well, in that case, what did you have in mind?" She directed her question at Jack.

"Actually, Gabriella... Let the old man catch a breath for a few minutes and then maybe we can take a walk?"

Gabriella cast a fearful look in Troy's direction- remembering what it was like in high school when Jack would talk to her- but when Troy turned his back on her and went into his room, she lowered her eyes to her lap and agreed.

"Okay. I think that would be nice."

Jack shared a look with his wife and rolled his eyes.

"Besides, it seems my son needs a slight attitude adjustment," he said, before turning and looking around the room. He spotted Troy's basketball sitting near the door and got an idea. He walked over to it, reached down, and grabbed the ball before looking back at Gabriella.

"You know, I think you both need to take some time to think. Really think." He paused and gave the ball a spin on his finger. "Go back to the beginning and give the last several years or so some good, hard thought." He gave Gabriella a pointed look with his eyebrows raised as he spun the ball once more and listened for any reaction from Troy's room. He took another deep breath and held the ball out toward Gabriella. "Why don't you come with me?"

"Jack, the doctor told you to take it easy," Lucille warned.

"Actually, Lucille, if he's with me on the court, then I think he will be taking it easy!" Gabriella joked.

The three laughed and Gabriella grabbed a water for her and another for Jack from the pantry as the two of them bid their goodbyes to Lucille and made their way to the court where he and Troy had been at just a short while previously. He opened the gate and let Gabriella walk in first and tossed her the ball.

"You take it out," Jack told her.

Gabriella rolled her eyes. "Coach..."

"Humor me? Please?" he begged.

She let out a deep breath. "Look, Coach, I know you're not happy with me right now. I'm sure Troy has told you about everything that's been going on. I'm just... I'm not sure I want to play a game of basketball against you."

Jack held his hands up in front of him in surrender. "No game, just shooting. That's all."

Gabriella took the ball and passed it to him with a small grunt. Jack took the shot immediately and let the ball swish through the net. Gabriella stepped forward, rebounding the ball, but then just stood there rolling it around in her hands, trying to gather her thoughts before she voiced them

"I still love him, Co- Jack," she admitted sheepishly.

Jack raised his eyebrows in disbelief. "So it's Jack all of a sudden?" When Gabriella shrugged her shoulders and averted her eyes, he continued. "I know you still love him. So why all the dates?"

"I um... I guess I needed to prove to myself that Troy is the one I love."

"You guess?" he asked, catching the ball when she tossed it back. He stood at the free throw line dribbling for a moment. "Don't you trust your heart?"

"I thought I did," she told him without hesitation.

Jack shot the ball through the hoop and coaxed her to continue. "But?"

"But there's a lot coming at us. College ends and real life begins," she said, in a _well, duh_ tone as she caught the ball when it bounced off the rim of the hoop. "I - I'm just not sure what that means for me... and Troy."

"Do you really want to push him away, Gabriella? Do you really want him out of your life?" Jack asked her seriously.

"No! I just... I just need to be sure of myself. I don't want to hurt him. I want what's best for him and I just don't know if that's really _me_, or not. I love him too much, Jack. I don't want him to feel _stuck_ with me. I'm scared that if real life sends us in different directions that it'll really..." she paused, as she tried to find the right words. "I don't know... It's just going to be a difficult time. I thought if there's someone out there - someone else - that might be able to put up with me..." She tossed the ball back in Jack's direction.

Jack snorted at the absurdity of Gabriella's logic. "Are you listening to yourself?" He took the shot and caught the rebound, giving the ball to Gabriella and pointed to the free throw line. "Come over here," he instructed her.

"Jack-"

"No," he cut her off. "Just come here."

Gabriella sighed and moved to stand on the line next to Jack. "I just needed to think about me for a little while and test the waters."

"And don't you think that's hurting Troy?" he asked her. "You say you love him, right?" Jack paused, watching as she nodded and dribbled the ball. "Shoot it." He watched as she took the shot and the ball swished through the net. "But you know you're hurting him, going out with other guys. If you think you're confused, imagine what he's going through," he told her softly as he caught the ball.

Gabriella lowered her eyes to the ground, staring at her feet, and lifted them in time to see the ball coming at her when Jack tossed it back. "I don't have to imagine," she said as she caught it. He pointed to another spot on the court and Gabriella moved to stand there. "He's gone out with this one girl over the last couple of weeks. I've had the... the _pleasure_ of meeting her once. It's not a good feeling." She took the shot and again the ball swished through the net.

"Are you the jealous type?" Jack again caught the rebound and pointed to another spot. Once Gabriella was set in place, he tossed the ball to her again.

She held the orange object in her hands and looked at him. "When it comes to Troy? Yeah, I guess I am."

"Does that tell you something?"

"Yeah," she responded without hesitation. "It's made me sure that I love him."

"So why are we out here shooting hoops while he and Mom go out to eat? By the way, it appears that my son has taught you well."

Despite her efforts to hide it, Jack spied her smile as she shot and scored again.

"We're shooting hoops one, because it was your idea and two, because I haven't had a chance to talk to Troy yet. I owe him an apology - a big one. And right now he's too angry with me to even be in the same room, not to mention listening to me."

"He may be angry with you but he's still in love with you," Jack pointed out gently.

Gabriella nodded a little sadly and received the bounce pass from Jack. "I'm not sure how or why, but I hope he is."

Jack held his hands out and signaled for Gabriella to pass the ball back to him. When she did so, he tucked it under his arm and walked the few steps over to her. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked down at the ground.

"Hey, look at me." She nervously brought her eyes up to his face. No matter how close the two of them had become over the years, he was still the gruff Coach Bolton that she met five and a half years ago. "Luce and I love you both. I may not have believed it when you were in high school, but I know now that you are one of the best things to ever happen to our son. I understand that you want to be sure...but don't let that beautiful head of yours out-think your heart, okay? Troy loves you and wants a future with you. If you're looking for something to be sure about, hold onto that as a fact.. In all the chaos that's getting ready to happen in your lives, that's one thing you can count on. If you love him, Gabriella, don't play this game anymore."

Gabriella nodded and took a deep breath. "Yes, sir," she said softly. "Hey, Coach?"

Jack smiled softly at hearing the familiar name come from her lips. "Yes?"

She stood on her tiptoes and placed a small kiss to his cheek, before wrapping her arms around Jack's middle. "Thank you... I love you, too!"


	23. One of Us

**Y'all are lucky that I got off work early today... Twice in once week? You're welcome! Enjoy!**

**Chapter 23: One of Us**

Troy and Lucille were already gone for their mother/ son date night when Jack and Gabriella got back from their game of basketball- or rather, their game of "I'm Going To Make You Think We're Playing A Game, But It's Really My Way Of Getting You To Open Up To Me", as Jack often thought of it. He thoroughly enjoyed this mind game that he played and he played it often- with Troy, with Chad, and now with Gabriella. He took pride in making the kids think- especially the ones who were high school valedictorian and about to graduate Magna Cum Laude from one of the most prestigious universities in the country.

"You haven't said much since we left the court," Jack pointed out.

"Just thinking," Gabriella said quietly. "Will you excuse me, Coach? I'm going to jump in the shower."

"Sure." He watched as she walked down the hall and into her room. Once he heard the shower turn on through the walls, he picked up his cell and called his wife, walking around the living room and looking at various pictures of Troy and Gabriella over the years while he waited on her to answer. He noticed right away a picture that Lucille had a copy of framed in their own living room back in Albuquerque. It had always been one of his favorite pictures of Troy and Gabriella, taken one summer during a trip to visit Lucille's family in San Antonio,Texas. It wasn't anything fancy- just the two of them standing along the River Walk with the sunset behind them.

"_Hello?"_ he heard in his ear.

"Hey, babe."

"_Hi, Jack! We're safe to talk. Troy's in the bathroom."_

"Good. How is he?" he asked.

"_He seems to be in better spirits than he was this afternoon."_

"Whatever I said to him may have hit home. I think it did with Gabriella, too. She's not said a word in about-" he paused to look at his watch "-fifteen or twenty minutes now. It'll be very interesting to see what happens tonight when they're alone."

"_Gee, I hope your head doesn't get so big that I have to buy you a new hat,"_ she joked.

"Well, if that does become the case, we're near the bookstores of two very respectable schools, so therefore..."

"_Ha. Ha,"_ she deadpanned before turning the conversation in a serious direction again. _"So I'm thinking that when Troy and I get back, I'll feign not feeling well and you and I can just go back to the hotel and leave the kids alone."_

"Sounds good. Hopefully they'll actually talk tonight."

"_Why, Jack Bolton... If I didn't know any better, I'd swear you were actually growing a heart!" _she joked with her husband, who was known for his gruff exterior and "I don't care" attitude, but his wife knew how big his heart really was.

"Well in Whoville they say that the Grinch's small heart grew three sizes that day," he said, quoting one of their son's favorite childhood books, while his wife's melodious laugh echoed in his ear.

"_Oh, wow, Jack... That was reaching." _Lucille glanced up just in time to see Troy walking back in the direction of their table, holding two drinks in his hands. _"Jack, I'd better go. Troy's on the way back."_

"Okay," he agreed. "I'll see you two in a bit. Enjoy your dinner."

"_Want me to bring you something back?"_

"No. I may be able to talk Gabriella into allowing me to treat her to an In & Out Burger."

"_You treating her? Is that just your way of making sure you get one while you're here? Because you know I want one, too. Why don't you wait until the four of us can go together?"_

"Woman, let me get my In & Out!" he teased.

"_Fine, whatever. I'll talk to you later."_

"I love you."

"_Love you, too."_

The two bid their good byes and hung up their respective phones.

**TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF**

When Troy and Lucille got back from their dinner date, they found Jack sitting on the couch with a beer in his hand and Gabriella at the desk with her laptop open scrolling through her Facebook and Twitter pages and a glass of White Zinfandel to her right. Both were watching the San Francisco Giants play ball on the television and when the door opened, both looked up as Troy and Lucille walk into the apartment. All three watched as Lucille went straight into the kitchen and lifted the lid of the trash can, where there was indeed trash from In & Out Burger- much to her delight.

"Oh, Jack... you didn't!"

Troy- noticing the trash in the can as well- decided to join in on the teasing. "Dad, you got In & Out? Well, then I guess I don't have to take you while you're here."

"She suggested it!" Jack defended, pointing a finger in Gabriella's direction.

"Hey!" Gabriella yelped, defending herself.

"Whatever, Dad," Troy said teasingly, sending a wink in Gabriella's direction and causing a slight blush to grace her cheeks.

"_Anyway..."_" Jack said, attempting to change the subject, "how was dinner, you two?"

Lucille let out a soft sigh and held up a to-go box. "Dinner was very good, but I had to bring half of mine home."

"Where did you two go?" Gabriella asked as she stood and walked into the kitchen to refill her glass.

"I took Mom to Cheesecake Factory," Troy told her.

"You went to Cheesecake Factory without me?" Gabriella pouted, forgetting about her near empty glass for the moment.

"Oh, it was wonderful!" Lucille told her.

"But we had to leave before the Dulce de Leche Caramel Cheesecake," Troy said, referencing Gabriella's favorite dessert. "Mom started to not feel well."

"Aw... I'm sorry to hear that," Gabriella sympathized. "I hope you'll be okay." The young couple shared a concerned look, missing the one shared between Jack and Lucille.

"Oh, it's just a headache. A borderline migraine, to be honest. I'm sure after some Advil and a good night's sleep I'll be okay," Lucille reassured her. "It could just be from all the excitement of today," she said, sending a proud look to her son.

Jack spoke up, following Lucille's lead. "I guess I'd better get you back to the hotel, then, shouldn't I?"

"Go on, Mom. Get some rest. I'll give you a call in the morning to see how you're doing." Troy crossed the room to give his mom a kiss on the cheek and gave his dad a hug. "Take care of her, old man."

"Of course. We'll talk to you tomorrow."

The parents left, leaving Troy and Gabriella standing in an uncomfortable silence. Both stood there in silence, Gabriella playing with her still almost-empty glass and Troy steeling glances in her direction before looking away quickly- he didn't want to get caught staring, after all. Finally, Troy took a deep breath and broke the silence.

"Brie, could we-"

Gabriella opened her mouth to speak at the same time.

"Troy, would you mind if-"

They both looked at each other and chuckled in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry," Troy apologized.

"Oh, no big deal. Um... what were you saying?" she asked.

"I was going to ask if you would mind if we talked."

Gabriella looked to her feet and smiled to herself. The first thing that struck her was that Troy called her Brie. He hadn't called her that since that fateful night just over a month ago- the night that both of their worlds turned upside down, all because of her and her easily influenced mind. She quickly swallowed her smile and looked up at him and was struck at the look she saw in his eyes- he appeared to be just as nervous as she was. The only time she remembered him looking so nervous was when they were sixteen and he was about to ask her out on their first date and- later that night- make official their back and forth flirtation.

Gabriella took a quick gulp of her wine to totally empty her glass in order to clear her thoughts. "Um, yeah. Actually I was going to ask you the same thing. Do you- um... do you want to sit?" she asked, pointing in the direction of the couch.

"Yeah, if you don't mind. Let me just..." he pointed to the bathroom and held up a finger. "I'll be right back. You just... you just get comfortable, okay? I'll be right back."

"Yeah, you said that." Gabriella couldn't help teasing him. It just came so naturally to her, even still.

"Right. Uh... I'll be right back."

Gabriella gave him a soft giggle. "Troy, just go," she said, holding up her glass. "I'm going to get another glass of wine. Do you want anything?"

"A beer, please."

She walked into the kitchen and reached into the refrigerator- pulling out the bottle and refilling her glass and grabbing a beer for Troy- before going to make herself comfortable on the couch. She leaned her head back so it rested on the back of the couch and closed her eyes while she waited on Troy to come back in. When she felt the pressure on the couch cushion change and his presence beside her, she opened her eyes and looked at him, noticing that he had changed from his jeans and polo shirt into a pair of basketball shorts and Berkeley t-shirt.

"You know," he started, "it occurred to me a minute ago that I didn't give you the chance to speak back there. What was it you wanted to say?"

She readjusted her position on the couch so that she was facing Troy and her back was resting on the arm of the couch. "Um, actually... I was going to ask you if you would mind if we talked, too."

Brown eyes met blue for a brief moment. The young couple couldn't deny the sparks that were held in their gaze; they were the same sparks that were there every time they looked in each others eyes. Troy broke the stare and looked down at his lap as he, too, readjusted his position so the two were face-to-face.

"So um... I guess we're pretty much on the same page here, huh?"

"I guess so," she said softly. "But um, before you say what's on your mind, do you mind if I go first? Please?"

Troy studied Gabriella's eyes and was surprised to see... regret? Remorse? He didn't know what it was he saw there, but he had a feeling he would soon find out.

"Yeah. Yeah, that's fine. Go ahead."

Gabriella opened her mouth to speak, only to shut it before any sound came out. She took a sip of her wine and licked her lips in hopes to moisten them. She took a deep breath and opened her mouth again, and again snapped it shut before saying anything.

"Gabriella?" Troy said, trying to gain her attention. "It's just me. You don't have to be nervous."

"It's not so much nervous, I don't guess. It's more of a... an anxiety, I suppose? I really don't know." Troy watched as a Gabriella showed him a side that even he- her boyfriend for the past five plus years, the person who knew her better than her own mother- had rarely seen. It was very seldom that she stumbled over her words; she was often times very level headed and put together. This was something he was not used to.

"Like I said, it's just me. Just start talking and your words will form themselves. I'll follow, I promise," he told her, trying to get her to calm down.

"Yeah, but your the college graduate now. And a psychologist at that. I certainly don't need to be psycho-analyzed right now," she attempted to joke.

Troy gave her a small smile and said "I won't psycho-analyze you, Gabriella. I promise."

"Well, in that case..." she said and took another sip from her glass. "I guess I should just start, huh?"

"That approach has worked for you in the past," he told her.

"Right. Okay. Then, here goes. Like a band aid, right? Just say it and get it over with?" Gabriella paused and took a deep breath, looking Troy in the eyes, taking in the dullness of them. "I'm sorry," she said, her voice just above a whisper.

She noticed a very slight light appear in Troy's eyes at just those two words.

"What?" he said, his voice also barely above a whisper.

"I'm sorry," she repeated still softly, yet with a little more confidence. "I- What?" she asked when Troy's smile grew.

"It's nothing. I was just going to say the same thing, that's all."

"Wait... what do you have to be sorry for?" she asked, confused.

"For making you feel smothered. For making you doubt me. For making you feel like I doubt us. For making you-"

"Troy, that's not what all of this was about," she interrupted, touching his arm gently.

"Then what was it about, Gabriella?" he snapped, causing her to jump. She bit on her lip and glanced down as she folded in her lap as she tried to fight the tears away, hoping Troy wouldn't notice her weakness. She was trying to hard keep her composure- this conversation was going to be hard enough as it was- but it seemed like Troy was doing everything in his power to throw road blocks in her way. She swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat and took a deep breath, determined to voice her thoughts.

"Um, first of all, please hear me out, okay? I know I hurt you, but what I have to say is important. Please keep an open mind for just a few minutes and hear what I have to say, okay?"

Troy looked into her eyes and saw the shy young girl he met back in Colorado several years ago. He knew that despite all that had happened in their recent past, she deserved for him to listen. His heart might be breaking, but something deep down told him that what she had to say would be important.

"Okay," he relented. "I'm sorry. Go ahead."

"I was just going to say that this past month has really made me think. I realized some stuff about myself and I never should have put you through all of this just because I was selfish."

Troy's eyes went wide. "Wow," he said, unable to hide his shock.

"'Wow', what?"

"Well, I just... I was expecting you to... I don't know..."

"Were you expecting me to break up with you for good?" She watched as Troy reached up to rub the back of his neck- his tell tale sign of nerves.

"Well, I mean... it would make sense, Gabriella. You told me a month ago that you needed to _find_ _yourself_ and have been parading around here with all sorts of men, ripping my heart each time, and here you are about to have a serious talk with me."

"Three," she whispered.

"What?"

"It was three dates, Troy. Three dates with three different men and I never 'paraded' them around here. I can't believe you would-"

"Okay!" Troy interrupted, holding his hands up in surrender. "Alright, look. I'm sorry. I think we might be getting off track. Let's just... Can we try again?"

"Please?"

"Okay. Gabriella, go on. I'm listening. I promise."

"Thank you." She took a sip of courage from the glass that she had sat down on the coffee table next to her and licked her lips. She took a deep breath and looked Troy in the eyes.

"Troy, I was led to believe that there was so much more out there that I was missing. I let myself be convinced that I was living in a bubble and life was just passing me by. In my past, I never really saw myself as beautiful or even the slightest bit attractive, but you changed all that and I started seeing myself differently. If I was seeing myself that way finally, how was everyone else out there seeing me? I became certain that I was... I don't know. Smothered, maybe? It all just started to seem so... so routine and all of the excitement was gone. That's when I told you that I wanted out and that I needed time." Gabriella took a deep breath before she continued. "Do you know what I wish, Troy?"

"What's that?" he asked quietly, uncertain of where she was going.

"I wish I could go back in time," she said, slightly above a whisper. "I've spent almost every night of the past month crying myself to sleep, lying alone in my bed, staring at the ceiling and wishing I was somewhere else other than in this apartment, hurting you. I've felt the most lonely that I've ever felt in my entire life- other then right after my dad died. I've never known what it felt like to make a stupid decision; this was probably the only decision that I made without the pro/con list that I'm known for and it was probably the stupidest decision that I've ever made."

Through out her speech, Gabriella had been wringing her hands nervously and shifting her eyes all over the room, looking anywhere except at Troy. The room was not a big one to begin with, but at some point in her speech, it started to feel like the walls were closing in on her. Luckily, Troy could still read her like a book and knew that by the look of panic on her face, it was time he come to her rescue.

"What are you getting at, Gabriella?"

Gabriella lifted her tear filled eyes at his words and her lip trembled. She took a deep breath and finally summed up her thoughts in one simple sentence.

"Is it too late for me to tell you that I miss you and still love you?" Her voice cracked and Troy couldn't help but be thrilled. Those were the words he had longed to hear and he worked hard to keep the smile from bruising his cheeks.

He reached up and rubbed his thumb under her eyes, gently wiping away her tears. "Gabriella... before I answer that question, there's something that I want to show you. Wait right here." He held a finger up telling to hold on and stood from his place on the couch.

"Um, okay..." she sniffled and reached for a Kleenex on the coffee table, picking up her wine and taking a sip as he left the room and walked into his bedroom, shutting the door behind him. "I mean, I just sat here and poured my heart out to you and you just basically blew me off. I can't say I'm surprised, though." Gabriella flounced back against the couch cushions and crossed her arms across her chest as she rolled her eyes while waiting on Troy to come back in the room.

"What's the matter?" Troy asked when he came back in the room and saw her pouting.

"Well," she started and sat up, watching Troy as he sat down next to her, "I just poured my heart out to you and that wasn't exactly the response I was hoping for. I guess that kind of gave me my answer, huh?" she asked as her voice chocked up again, shrugging one shoulder.

"Now wait a minute. I let you say what you had on your mind. The least you can do is give me the same courtesy and let me say what's on mine."

"Fair enough," she whispered, after hesitating for a long pause.

"Gabriella, you were put under the impression that I wasn't going to propose. All of the times that we talked about it, I kept telling you that I wanted to wait. I want you to know that was not my way of putting you off. I was trying to be responsible. Marriage for a guy is... well, it's... I mean, it's a huge step for both parts of the couple, but for the man it's... Once we propose, it becomes a huge ego booster for a guy. It's our way of telling the world '_look at her; she's mine and I'm going to take care of her for the rest of our lives together because she is the most important person to me'. _When I said I wanted to wait, it wasn't because I doubted you or us or our future together. It was because I wanted to have a steady job and an income and I wanted to be certain that I could provide for you and take care of you in the way that you deserve."

Gabriella let out a soft snort through her nose and rolled her eyes. "Gee, thanks for making me feel even worse for doing what I did."

"That's not my point," he told her with a small smile.

"Then what is your point?" she asked.

"This is to prove to you that I do have a plan," he started. "I'm not telling you when or how, but I am showing you that I have thought about our future together." Gabriella creased her eyebrows in confusion as she watched Troy reach into his pocket and pull something out. Troy held the item in the palm of his left hand and Gabriella's mouth dropped open and her eyes widened in shock when she realized what he was holding. Her eyes darted back and forth between the little black box and Troy's shimmering blue eyes.

"Troy, i- is that-" She reached forward to take the box out of his palm but was cut off when he closed his left hand and pulled the small black box out of her reach and grabbed her left hand in his right.

"Uh-uh-uh!" he reprimanded as he intertwined their fingers and held the small box in between his thumb and pointer finger of his left hand. "This is for me to keep hidden until the time comes. And don't you even think of going looking for it because I can promise you- you won't find it."

"How can you be so sure that I won't find it?" she asked coyly.

"Because I've had it for almost six months now and you didn't even known about it until tonight. I just wanted to show it to you to prove my point."

Gabriella couldn't fight the smile that was forming on her face. She looked down at their hands that were still joined and played with his long fingers. "And what exactly is your point?"

"That even after everything we've been through this past month, I still want my future to be you." Troy slowly pulled his hand from hers and reached up to tuck a stray curl behind her ear. "I still want you to take my name and be mine forever. I'm keeping this box and one day, what's inside will be removed and placed right here." Troy stared into her eyes as he leaned down and placed a gentle kiss to the ring finger on her left hand. "I love you, Gabriella."

"I love you, too, Troy. And I'm sor-"

"Shhh..." Troy pressed a finger to her lips to shush her. "We're moving past that. We're not going to dwell there anymore, okay?"

"Okay," she agreed with a smile before leaning forward to meet his lips halfway in a tender kiss and the rest of the evening was spent with the young couple cuddled on the couch in each others arms, reveling n the feeling that they both had been missing for the past several weeks.


	24. Quiet Time

***I do not own Hunter Hayes- although I'm still internally debating what's cuter: him or a basket full of puppies?- or Lady Antebellum. And of course, absolutely no part of HSM is mine, either.***

**Chapter 24: Quiet Time**

The next day- Sunday- was semi-awkward for all involved. Troy and Gabriella spent the day with his parents playing tourist in downtown San Francisco and tried to keep their reconciliation to themselves for the time being. They would share the news with their parents in time, but for now they just wanted to stay in their own personal bubble of bliss.

However, over the next twenty-four hours, Jack and Lucille began to notice something different in the way Troy and Gabriella were acting around each other. Even though they had yet to reveal their good news of getting back together, Lucille's womanly instincts took over when the four met up for dinner and she noticed a certain air surrounding Gabriella. The gleam in her brown eyes that Lucille noticed was missing during their talk was back, as was the brilliance in Troy's blue eyes. In Lucille's mind, that could only mean one thing.

Troy and Gabriella, however- not yet ready to burst their bubble- tried to keep up the pretense of their breakup. The fact that they had yet to confirm Lucille's suspicions only increased her frustration. As hard as they tried in Jack and Lucille's presence, it was hard to pretend the situation hadn't improved between them. But when the older couple showed up at the apartment again on Tuesday afternoon to spend time with their son, they were shocked when the younger couple announced that they were going out.

"Um... You're going _out_?" Lucille questioned with raised eyebrows. "I'm sorry, the two of you are going out – _together_?" She tried her best to refrain from a motherly lecture or an intense lovey-dovey scrutiny of the change.

"Yeah, actually. We uh... we'll be back later. We're just going to grab some dinner," Troy told her.

"But it's only 4:30. Why dinner so early?"

Troy opened his mouth to answer, but was quickly interrupted by Jack.

"Wait a minute, Son. I think I can speak on behalf of your mother when I say... we're confused."

"About what?" Troy asked innocently. He sneaked a peek at Gabriella standing near the door and noticed that she was struggling to hide a smile. She knew he was teasing his parents and she was enjoying watching Coach squirm and decided to get in on the action, too.

"You guys don't need to worry. I'm going out with my boyfriend, so I'll be safe. I'll make sure he has me home by curfew," she quipped, causing Troy to let out a snort in his effort of trying to hold in his laughter as he came to stand next to Gabriella.

"Hold it right there, young lady," Lucille spoke up, pointing an accusatory finger in Gabriella's direction. "With that look…" she then turned her finger toward Troy, "…and that laugh…You two are up to something. Your father and I want answers and we want them now. What is going on?" The fact that she was standing with her hands on her hips worried Gabriella a little... until she realized that it made just as much sense to be frightened of Lucille as it did her own biological mother.

Troy and Gabriella shared an amused look. "Should we tell them?" he asked her.

Gabriella shifted her gaze from Troy to Jack and Lucille. "I don't know. I'm kind of having fun watching the vein in your dad's forehead. How much longer do you think we can keep this going before it bursts?" She and Troy looked at each other for a split second before breaking into laughter.

"Mom, Dad... Gabriella and I have some... well, some good news."

"This better be what I think it is, Troy Alexander," Lucille scolded.

"Will I be grounded if it's not?" he said in an attempt to joke with his mom.

Lucille let out a frustrated groan at her son's humor. "Blah! Just because you're a college graduate now doesn't mean you're too old for me to take you over my knee and-"

"Okay, Lucille," Jack interrupted, coming to his son's rescue. "Let's just let the kids talk. I'm sure if we're quiet, they just might tell us!"

"Mom, Dad... Gabriella and I talked the other day and we kind of..." he trailed off as he moved to stand behind her and wrapped his arm around her middle from behind, splaying his open palm flat across Gabriella's stomach. "We made up... _making_ up... whatever, either way. Point is, we're back together."

"As well you should be!" Lucille exclaimed, taking Gabriella by surprise. She had assumed that all three of their parents would be thrilled at their news, but Lucille sounded almost angry in her opinion. "It's about time you two get some sense knocked into your thick skulls."

"I think what your mom is trying to say," Jack spoke up, draping an arm around Lucille's shoulders and bringing a hand up to cover her mouth in an attempt to get her to calm down "is that we're very happy for you two. Even I could tell you were both miserable the other day and frankly it was depressing me! I'm glad things are getting back to normal." He jumped when he felt his wife lick his hand. "Hey!" he exclaimed as he wiped his hand on his jeans.

"Thanks, Dad. Yeah, we're pretty happy, too. But um, if you don't mind, we kind of..." Troy trailed off as he pointed to the door.

"Jack, let the kids go. They've got some lost time to make up for."

"We are, though, kind of taking things slow getting back into this," Gabriella told them. "I mean, we don't want to just jump right back into where we were. We've got a lot to talk about and a lot to work through."

"Yeah, it's kind of like we're sixteen again," Troy added, but received confused looks from all three surrounding him. "Okay, maybe not. I don't know. Anyway, as glad as we are that you two are happy, can we kind of celebrate later? We're both starving. We're just going to drive downtown grab some dinner and dessert and then we'll be back, alright?"

The two couples shared their goodbyes and Troy and Gabriella left, leaving Jack and Lucille standing alone in the apartment.

"Well..." Jack started. "That was..." he trailed off, wracking his brain for the right word he wanted to use. "Well, I don't exactly know what that was."

"It doesn't matter what the last five minutes were. What matters is that they're back together."

"I agree," Jack told her.

"And it was all because of me," Lucille continued.

Jack turned to face his wife with an entertained expression. "Oh, I can't wait to hear this one."

"Well, if I hadn't talked to Gabriella on Saturday, they wouldn't have talked and worked everything out."

"Um, I kind of talked to them, too, Luce."

"Not the point, Jack. I'm the mama. I deserve credit for everything. I thought you would have figured that out by now."

Jack let out a snort of amusement. "Alright then, Ms. I'm-Always-Right. I'll remember that in the future." He laughed when Lucille stuck her tongue out at him in response. "At any rate, what should we do while we wait on the kids? Didn't you say something about wanting to go get Gabriella's graduation present? Why don't we go do that and we can grab some dinner ourselves while we're out?"

Lucille sent Troy a quick text, letting him know their game plan for the evening and that the four of them would meet back at the apartment later, and the two left on their own adventure, locking the door behind them.

**TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF**

Troy and Gabriella were walking off the calories from dinner, taking their time to get to the coffee shop where they were going to get dessert. Troy had his arm draped across Gabriella's shoulder and she had her right hand raised to hold his as it rested on her shoulder.

"So I've been thinking..." he began.

"Be careful with that," she teased, giving him a wink.

"Haha. Smarty pants. Just because you go to Stanford-"

"Went," she corrected.

"What?"

"_Went_ to Stanford. As of yesterday when I took my last exam, I'm technically not a student anymore, remember? All I have left is graduation practice on Thursday and graduation itself on Saturday. So therefore..."

"_Anyway_... point is..." He trailed off and gave her a pointed look as she giggled. He momentarily marveled at the feeling it gave him; it had been way too long since he heard that melodious sound come from her mouth on his account. Gabriella wrapped her petite arms around his waist and gave a small squeeze, causing Troy to release a chuckle.

"I'm sorry, Wildcat. I couldn't resist. You're just too easy." She reached up to pinch his right cheek and followed it up by a slight pat and a wink.

"Whatever," he said with a roll of his eyes. "Now as I was saying, I've been thinking," he told her as they approached the coffee shop. Troy held the door open and placed his hand gently on the small of her back to guide her inside. "Why don't you tell me what you want and then get a table? I'll join you after I order and tell you my thoughts."

Gabriella agreed, gave Troy her order, then walked to an empty table in the corner and waited. Within minutes, he joined her at the table with their two cups and sat down across from her.

"So you've been thinking..." she started for him.

He picked up where she left off. "...about our future."

Gabriella raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Oh, yeah?" she asked as she brought her cup up to her mouth, taking a drink. "In what realm?"

Troy licked his lips and took a deep breath. He had been thinking about this ever since he and Gabriella talked the night of his graduation. He knew it was something that meant a lot to her and if he was truly serious about having a future with her, then he would make sure it would become more important to him, too.

"I uh... I'm going to start making it a priority that I go to church with you on a regular basis."

Gabriella paused with her cup halfway to her mouth and stared at Troy in disbelief. "Really?" she asked.

"Yeah. It's important to you. It's a part of who you are. I'm going to make sure it becomes more important to me and that it becomes more of a part of who I am, too" he told her sincerely.

"Troy..."

"Wait," he held his hand up, silently telling her to let him finish. "Going on that premise, I think it might be a good idea if..." Troy allowed his voice to trail off again and lowered his eyes to look at the table. Gabriella could swear that she saw him blush.

"Troy, are you embarrassed to say this?"

"Not so much embarrassed, I don't think. I guess I'm more apprehensive about what you'll have to say about this idea."

"You don't have to be, you know." Gabriella reached across the table and took his hand in hers, hoping to reassure him.

"I know." He squeezed her hand and gave a small smile before continuing. "I guess it's more of the change it'll mean for both of us and our relationship." Gabriella immediately felt the panic rise inside of her and tried to keep her breathing level. Her eyes darted all around her as she struggled to hide her terror at what he could possibly be getting ready to say. She slowly pulled her hand out of Troy's grasp and sat back in her seat.

"Um... okay..." she said, as she lowered her eyes to study the table top and tried to keep her confusion at bay. Troy however had always been able to read her like a book and quickly leaned forward in his own seat so he could better reach across the table and placed his index finger under her chin to gently lift so her eyes met his.

"Hey," he said to gain her attention. "Let me finish what I'm saying. Please?"

Gabriella swallowed and nodded. "Sorry. I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions. Continue..."

Once Troy was certain he had her full attention again, he moved his fingers from under her chin and sat back in his chair so he could better take in her expression when he said what was on his mind. He took a sip of his drink before continuing.

"What I was going to say regarding _our_ future is something that's going to be more new and different for me than for you, but I _want_ to do this. I _want_ our relationship to go in this direction because I know it means a lot to you and I want it to mean a lot to me, too."

"Troy, you're confusing me."

"Really?" He watched as she furrowed her eyebrows and cocked her head, nodding it slowly as she watched an unusual glow come across his face. "Wow. That never happens." Gabriella watched in further confusion as his eyes drifted to a spot on the wall above her head and an odd grin spread across his face.

"Troy, what are you-" She stopped when he held up a hand.

"I'm relishing in the fact that I've confused you. It doesn't happen that often. You're too smart for me to confuse you. Give me a minute."

Gabriella rolled her eyes and reached across the table to smack Troy on his very muscular arm. "Will you stop it?!" she reprimanded.

"Sorry," Troy said when his laughter subsided.

"Anyway, as you were saying..."

"As I was saying... Remember earlier this year when you were disappointed when you realized that living off campus meant you couldn't go to the dorm Bible study that you had been going to?"

"Yeah."

"I want us to see if your church has a college group or a young couples group or something for people our age that we can start going to. Together."

A pause filled the air as she allowed his words to permeate in her brain. "Really?" Gabriella asked, as a small smile started to form on her face.

"Really. I know that it's important to you. Your Bible study and being involved in the church and all that. I'm going to start going with you more often- on a regular basis. I want to be the kind of man and future husband that your dad was for your mom. I know that's important to you and I want to do that. For myself and for you... for us."

Gabriella sat there for a moment, just looking at Troy in wonder. It was amazing the changes that she had seen in him within the past few days since their relationship had been on the mend. Nothing in particular, he had just become more of a gentleman in general. And now telling her that he wanted to become a better person and work on his relationship with God...

_If only Daddy could see this..._

"Now, here's the part that's hard for me to get used to. With us wanting to improve our relationship, I'm thinking that maybe we should stay in our separate rooms. You know, really control ourselves _fully_." He lowered his voice at that last word in hopes of conveying his full meaning.

She allowed a small smile to tug at the corners of her mouth before it finally exploded and turned into a full out grin. She leaned across the small table and gave Troy and small peck on his lips.

"So I take it you like that idea?" he asked, mildly amused at her reaction.

"I love that idea," she told him. "I can't tell you how many times I wished that you would go to church with me more often than you do and that we could be involved together. This is... it's an answered prayer that you came to this conclusion all on your own."

"But what about the 'separate room' idea?"

"I think that's something that while yes, it will definitely take some adjusting, it also will be very good and beneficial for us. I mean, if we're going to try and mature our relationship and all, I say we give it a shot. Thank you, Wildcat."

"You're welcome," he told her before giving her another brief kiss.

**TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF**

The two returned home that evening and spent some time with Jack and Lucille before they left for the night, going back to the hotel. The foursome discussed meeting for breakfast the next morning, but Troy announced that he had gotten called in to pick up some shifts at the restaurant now that his schedule was more open since he had graduated and as it turned out, Wednesday was one of those shifts. So Gabriella made plans with Jack and Lucille on her own.

After Jack and Lucille left, Troy excused himself to get in the shower. Gabriella took the few quiet moments to make a phone call. She brought the phone to her ear and listened as it rang.

"_Hello?" _she heard in her ear.

"Taylor? Hey. It's me."

"_Oh. Hey. I wasn't expecting to hear from you."_

"Really?" Gabriella scrunched her face in confusion and pulled the phone away from her face to look at it. "Why not? I thought everything was getting better between us?"

"_Well, yeah, they are. But aren't the future in-laws in town?" _Taylor asked. The smirk on her face was very clear in her voice and Gabriella couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"Taylor..." Gabriella said, the tone of her voice warning Taylor that she was about to tread in a dangerous territory.

"_I'm kidding; I'm kidding!"_ Taylor reassured her. _"I won't make that mistake again._ _I was miserable without you!"_

"And believe me... I won't _let_ you make that mistake again!" Gabriella pointed her finger into the phone, imagining that it was Taylor's face. "I was miserable, too," she told her, letting the pout that was on her face be evident through her voice.

"_So... what's up?" _Taylor asked, trying to get the conversation back on topic.

"Well, I'm going to keep this brief. I just wanted to call for a few and let you know something. It's not exactly Facebook or Twitter worthy, so a brief phone call has to suffice."

"_And what would that be?"_

Gabriella allowed a small smile to grace her Latino features. "That I was right and you were wrong."

"_I'm sorry, what?"_

"You heard me."

"_Yeah..._ _I kinda did._ _I just don't want to admit it,"_ Taylor admitted sheepishly.

"You don't even know what I was right about," Gabriella pointed out.

"_Watch it, Miss Cocky."_

"Sorry." Gabriella giggled.

"_So what were you right and I was wrong about?"_

"About me and Troy." Gabriella proceeded to tell Taylor about the conversation that took place between her and Troy on Saturday evening after his graduation. She included every detail- even the fact that he showed her the box that holds the ring that will one day be on her finger. She also told Taylor about the conversation that the two of them had just that afternoon. "So you see, Taylor... If you hadn't jumped to conclusions..." She sing-songed the end of her statement to show Taylor that she was teasing her and allowed her voice to trail off.

"_Oh-kay!" _Taylor said. _"You've made your point, smarty pants._ _I get it. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions like I did and believe me if I could do it over..."_

"I know. I just had to pick on you," Gabriella reassured her friend. "Anyway, I better run. I'm getting up in the morning to meet Troy's parents for breakfast."

"_Have fun."_ Taylor wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, knowing that action was in vain since Gabriella couldn't see her. _"We'll talk soon."_

"Sounds good. Love you!"

"_Love you, too!"_

"Who was that?"

Gabriella heard that voice behind her and turned around to see Troy standing there in a pair of sweat pants and no shirt on. "Taylor. I called her to brag a little bit."

"Oh, yeah? How'd she take that?"

"It was a very interesting conversation." The two laughed before Gabriella continued. "In all actuality, though, I think everything's going to be just fine between us. She realizes what she did and has apologized until I can't stand to hear the phrase 'I'm sorry' from her anyone."

"Well, then I'll remember that for when I screw up. 'Oh, Baby... I can't tell you that I'm sorry because you can't stand to hear that phrase, so instead I'll just say-' Ow!" Troy stopped talking and rubbed his chest where Gabriella just hit him with a pillow.

"Watch it, Bubba!" she warned.

"So what's on tv tonight?" he asked, as he repositioned himself on the couch to better allow Gabriella to snuggle into his side and he wrapped his arm around her to pull her closer to him. He leaned down to place a gentle kiss to the top of her head as Gabriella reveled in the feel of being wrapped in his arms once more. "I love you, Brie."

"I love you, too, Wildcat."

The two of them settled in for a quiet night of watching tv... and relished every minute of it.

**TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF**

Gabriella spent the next day with Jack and Lucille while Troy worked a double shift at the restaurant. She loved spending time with the two of them. Jack wanted to catch a Giants game while they were there for the graduations and it just so happened that luck was on his side: they were playing a three game home series that week against the Atlanta Braves with the series opener on that particular Wednesday. The three of them went to the game with hot dogs, nachos, popcorn, and beers being their lunch of choice while at AT&T Park on that sunny, cloudless afternoon.

As they were leaving the ballpark and discussing their plans for the rest of the afternoon, Gabriella's phone rang with an incoming text. As she pulled her phone from her purse and brought it to life so she could read the text message, she stopped and stood rooted to her spot.

"Hey, guys," she called out to Jack and Lucille. When they turned around and walked the few steps back to where she was, she continued. "It's from Troy."

"What did he say?" Lucille asked.

"Apparently he got off work early."

"Good. Tell him to shower and change and we'll go grab some dinner in a little bit or something," Lucille suggested.

"Um, actually, I think he has other plans for us," Gabriella told them as she turned her phone around for his parents to read the text she had received.

_"Stanford...commons...45 minutes" _was all it said.

"Gee Son... glad to know you're fluent in Cryptic-ese," Jack joked.

"Right?! That's all it says!" Gabriella exclaimed. "I don't have a clue what he means by that."

"There's only one way to find out," Lucille pointed out. "Don't worry about us. We'll catch BART and go entertain ourselves. You head back to Stanford and see what he's up to."

"Alright," Gabriella agreed. "I hate this, though! You guys came to spend time with us and we've blown you off almost every night for one reason or another!"

"Gabriella," Jack spoke up to get her attention. "You two have been through a lot within this past month. You're both slowly trying to get things back on track. If my son takes after me like I know he does, then he's got something up his sleeve and you need to go see what it is. Ouch!" he yelled, when his wife playfully smacked him in the arm causing Gabriella to break into a fit of giggles. "Lucille! What was that for?"

"For being forgetful and cocky at the same time," she answered. When he looked at her confused, she sighed and kept going. "You're forgetting that he's _both_ of our son. We _both_ raised him. Any romantic gestures he has in his mind came from both of us, not just you. Remember when he came to San Francisco to track down Gabriella during their senior year of high school? Where do you think he got that idea?"

"Um, while you two stand here and debate Troy's romantic ancestry, I'm going to make my way to Stanford and see what he's got on his mind for this evening," Gabriella told them as she pointed in the direction of the parking lot where she had parked her Hyundai Santa Fe earlier that afternoon. "We'll text you and iron out the details for tomorrow."

The three bid their good byes and went their separate ways, while Gabriella's head was spinning as she tried to figure out what Troy could have possibly planned for that evening. Knowing him, there was no telling. That thought alone made her smile as she buckled her seat belt and prepared for the forty minute drive to the campus of her almost alma mater.

**TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF**

When Gabriella arrived to the Stanford commons and found the tree that the two of them claimed as "theirs" back during their senior year of high school when Troy followed her, she was pleasantly surprised by the sight that greeted her. She was slightly stunned by the fifty or so tea light candles that were set in a circle formation around the wooden bench at the base of the tree and the iPod docking station that was sitting there, too. She looked around and wasn't surprised when she didn't see Troy anywhere. She knew where he was.

"What is it with you and trees?" she asked with a grin on her face as she remembered that very special day when she said those words just a few years prior. Gabriella only looked up when she heard his voice above her.

"I'm not going to let you go that easily, you know?" he said as he hopped down from his perch up in the tree.

"But I thought we already established that you're not letting me go and I'm not going anywhere. Not anymore, anyways." Her cheeks were starting to hurt from the grin that graced her features. He acknowledged her statement by approaching her and placing a simple kiss to her soft lips. "What is all this, anyway?" she asked him as she walked in a circle, taking in the whole scene around her. When she faced him again, she caught sight of Troy reaching into his pocket and her eyes widened and her heart pounded as only one thought ran through her mind.

_Is this it? Is this what he had planned?_

"It's not what you think it is," he told her with a grin on his face, not looking up from his pocket and interrupting her thoughts.

"How do you know what I think it is?" she asked, her eyes narrowed in challenge.

Troy took the few steps needed so he was standing directly in front of her. "Because I know you. That's not what tonight is about, so get that thought out of your head. That's later," he told her with a wink as he tapped the tip of her nose and retracted his hand from the pocket of his jeans holding tightly to the remote for the iPod docking station.

"So what is tonight about, then?" she asked as she watched him. Troy pressed the button on the remote and the area around them came to life with the sounds of Hunter Hayes singing "Wanted" coming through the speakers.

_You know I'd fall apart without you_

_I don't know how you do what you do_

_'Cause everything that don't make sense about me_

_Makes sense when I'm with you..._

"Troy," she cooed lovingly. "That's the song you always sing to me whenever it comes on." She reached up to lock her hands around his neck and pulled him close and his own hands came to grasp her hips, holding her tight.

"Dance with me?" he whispered.

"Of course," she whispered back as she ran her fingers through his hair.

_'Cause I wanna wrap you up_

_Wanna kiss your lips_

_I wanna make you feel wanted_

_And I wanna call you mine_

_Wanna hold your hand forever_

_Never let you forget it_

_Yeah, I wanna make you feel wanted..._

The young couple got lost in their own world as they slow danced to one of their many special songs. After several seconds, Troy pulled back so he could look Gabriella in her deep brown eyes.

"This is a way for us to start fresh," he told her. "We're going to pretend like nothing ever happened between us and just move forward from where we left off. Taylor hasn't even been to visit us for Spring Break yet. You're excited about her coming and I'm preparing for Georgia-"

"-and I want to show you just how much I don't want you to leave..." she said as she fingered the hair at the nape of his neck with that all too familiar-to-him glint in her eyes.

"Don't pull that part of things into this yet," he warned as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, leaning his forehead against hers.

"Sorry," she said, sheepishly. "I've missed you, Troy."

"I've missed you, too, Baby, but tonight's not about that. Besides, what about our talk from yesterday?" he reminded her and chuckled as she rolled her eyes and burrowed her head in his chest as the song changed and "Just a Kiss" by Lady Antebellum started to play.

"Okay, back to what I was saying... Taylor's on her way out here and I'm preparing for the tournament." He paused and looked at the sporty Citizen watch that she gave him for his own graduation- a present that she bought back at the beginning of March and gave him on the night of their reconciliation- and counted to fifteen. "Okay, now she's in California and I'm in Georgia." He paused again and took another look at the watch, counting to fifteen again. "And now her visit is over and I'm back in San Francisco. I've been back in town for a month and a half and we haven't spent that much time together, just us, because everything has been so hectic with the end of the year and finals and such. Now I've planned the prefect date for us at the end of the semester to celebrate both of our graduations- similar to the one in my back yard four years ago- and here we are."

"Wow, those 2 months really sped by," she teased.

"That's because I was sick and tired of school and ready for it all to be over," he said, returning the teasing tone and topping it with a kiss to the top of her head.

"So what other songs do you have set to play on the iPod for tonight?"

"Only the ones that are the most special to us," he told us while tucking a stray curl behind her hair.

The two allowed themselves to get lost in the arms of the other while the iPod played on. Occasionally their sweet kisses would be interrupted by the sound of sweet giggles and masculine chuckles, but mostly it was sweet, loving words that were shared between the two. Finally, Gabriella broke the serene bubble by stating the one part of their future- their _very_ _near_ future- that had yet to have been discussed.

"You know, at some point, we still need to discuss graduate school and all of that."

"That's on the agenda for tonight, but not until later."

"What's on the agenda first?" she asked.

Troy gave her a sneaky smile as he took a few steps in the direction of the tree and walked around to the other side out of her sight.

"What do you have up your sleeve, Wildcat?" When no sound was heard, she continued. "Should I be worried?"

"No, of course not," he said as he came back into her view, carrying a picnic basket, a pizza box, and a blanket.

"Troy! You didn't!" she exclaimed giddily.

"Oh, but I did."

"You sly little devil, you! Tell me it's not!" Gabriella ran the few feet to him and took the blanket from his hands to spread it on the ground, bringing a few of the tea lights off the bench surrounding the tree to offer a little bit more light so they could see to eat.

"Look for yourself," he instructed and watched as she lifted the lid to the pizza box and her grin spread to cover the rest of her face, blinding him with the brilliance of her pearly whites.

"Margherita pizza! I knew it!"

"No special occasion night is complete without that, a bottle of wine, and-"

"Chocolate covered strawberries!" she interrupted as she pulled a separate container from the picnic basket, causing him to chuckle at her cuteness. He sat down on the blanket next to her and reached into the basket himself, pulling out the two acrylic wine glasses, the bottle of Turning Leaf Red Moscato, and the bottle opener. He poured the two glasses of the sweet red wine and handed one to her, but stopped her from taking a sip.

"A toast?" he proposed. She nodded as she readjusted her body so she was sitting on her knees and he continued. "Here's to new beginnings and to the future," he said as the same curl from earlier began to blow in the wind once more and he reached up to tuck it back behind her ear.

"No, Troy." She gave a small smile as another memory from a few years before came back to her. "Here's to right now."

Troy returned the smile as he, too, had the same memory. She then leaned in closer, curling her index finger for him to do the same. When he did so, she lowered her voice to a whisper. "Here's to happily ever after."

"I'll drink to that!" he whispered in response as she pressed her lips to his in a soft kiss.


	25. Tales of an Airport Confession

**Here's another chapter for you, my dear readers! One thing I'd like to say before I release you to your reading...**

**To the "Guest" reviewer who told me that the mention of God was "unnecessary":**

**Let it be known that I am a Christian and I find God to be VERY "necessary". I make the attempt to include God in most of my writings. He is an important factor in my life and will be in the lives of my characters as well. Last time I checked, I was the author of this story and not you. If you don't like that God and Christianity is included in my stories, then- please, by all means- don't read them. **

**Thank you and may everyone have a blessed day! Enjoy the latest chapter of "What the Future Holds"!**

**Chapter 25: Tales of an Airport Confession**

The two enjoyed the night that Troy had planned for them- the candlelight, the pizza, the wine, the chocolate covered strawberries, the soft music... As great as it all was, there was the miniature elephant that stood on the middle of their blanket and even though they both knew it needed to be addressed, neither of them wanted to bring up the topic, as they knew it was going to need to be handled in a very delicate fashion. Gabriella was the first to bring up the topic as she laid on the blanket with her head resting in Troy's lap as he ran his fingers through her hair.

"So...?" Gabriella began tentatively, hoping Troy would catch her drift of where she was going.

"So...?" he repeated. He had an idea he knew where her train of thought was headed, but he decided to let her finish.

Since applying to the universities of New Mexico, Colorado, Oklahoma, North Carolina, and South Carolina, he added one more to his list earlier that week and had put his application in the mail that same day. He had stumbled upon a list in Gabriella's room when putting a stack of freshly folded laundry on her bed, which led to his latest addition. As he turned to leave, he saw a note- it looked like a list of some sort- taped to the mirror of her vanity table. Upon taking a closer look, he saw it to be a list of schools under the heading of "Law Schools Applied To". This list contained the schools of Duke, Emory, Boston College, and Wake Forest. Three of her four top choices were very near a few of his as well, and that gave him a small ray of hope.

"Which one of us is going to bring it up?" she asked as she tilted her head so it rested on her shoulder and pursed her lips in a small pout as she looked up at him.

"Bring what up?" he replied with a smirk.

"Troy!" she said, as she straightened. "You know exactly what I'm talking about," she told him, reaching for a nearby napkin and tossing it up in his direction which he successfully dodged as they both started laughing.

"Well, technically," he started when they calmed down "you're the one who initially brought it up, so why don't you just go ahead and ask the question that I just know you're dying to know?" he asked as he leaned down to place a kiss to her forehead.

"Have you decided on a school for your Masters yet?" she blurted out.

"Who says I'm going to graduate school?" he teased. When Gabriella's eyes grew wide and she leveled her gaze on him, he relented. "I'm kidding! Of course I'm going to graduate school. I can't go into childhood psychology without a Master's."

"Okay, silly! Time to be serious! This discussion could really determine our future and where we end up this summer!"

"Baby, I know. Okay. I'll be serious. How about we tell each other our top choices before we tell final decisions?"

"Okay, my top choices are Boston College, Emory, Duke, and Wake Forest Universities. Yours?"

"No Harvard or Yale?"

Gabriella shook her head. "Nah. I think I've had enough of the prestigious Ivy League types. I'm ready to be a normal student."

"You? Normal?" Troy scoffed, this time unable to avoid the incoming napkin in time before it hit him in the middle of the chest. "Hey!" he exclaimed, rubbing the napkin's target.

"My choices are Boston, Emory, Duke and Wake Forest," she told him again. "What are your choices?"

"Okay, sorry. Mine are the Universities of New Mexico, Colorado, Oklahoma, North Carolina, and South Carolina. It sounds like three of mine are not far from three of yours." He watched as Gabriella visibly thought hard about the three schools he was referencing.

"Okay, based on the list you just rattled off, _two_ of your choices are near three of mine. How do you figure that we're three for three?"

"I just today added one more to my list that I haven't told you about yet."

Gabriella sat up from her spot in his lap and studied him intently. "I'm confused. Why didn't you tell me?"

"I guess I was going to gauge my addition based on your list."

"Care to share?" she asked him.

"Georgia. After I went there for the tournament, I fell in love with it. Beautiful campus, nice area, not far from Atlanta..." he trailed off, waiting on her to realize the point he was trying to make.

"Emory is in Atlanta!" she exclaimed in excitement.

"I know. And Duke and Wake Forest are both about an hour from University of North Carolina."

"Have you heard from Georgia yet?" she questioned.

"No. I just sent in my application the other day. It could take a few weeks before I hear from them and can make my definite decision."

"So that makes you to have three schools on your top choice list to be not far from three of mine on my top choice list..." she lead in.

"Which in essence means that no matter where we go next year, we'll still be somewhat near each other," he finished for her. The two looked at each other and a smile slowly found its way onto Gabriella's face.

"I guess I can go ahead and scratch Boston College off my list," she said softly.

"And I can scratch New Mexico, Colorado, and Oklahoma off mine," he said, matching her tone.

"Well, now wait a minute. I'm scratching off Boston because after seven years in warm atmospheres and desert like temperatures- San Diego, Albuquerque, and San Francisco- I'm not ready to adjust to their winters. I'm not looking forward to having three feet plus of snow every week for almost six months in a row. If New Mexico, Colorado, or Oklahoma have a better psychology graduate department over South Carolina, North Carolina, or Georgia, then you need to go there. I love you, but don't feel like you have to go somewhere just because I'll be nearby. You and I can make this work wherever we go."

"I understand what you're saying, but I need you to understand something, too," he began gently.

"What's that?" she asked quietly.

"I'm not you. School is not my life. Important, yes, but not my life. The graduate program of where I go isn't important to me. Well, it is important, but it's not the _most_ important thing to me. None of these schools wouldn't be on my list if I hadn't researched them. Intently. I've visited all of these schools-" Gabriella gave him a look that silently asked when he visited, so he went on to answer her unasked question. "During basketball season. These are all schools that we played in an away game at some point. I contacted them and set up a meeting with their graduate schools before going out there and visiting each of them. I know what I'm getting into at each of these schools. I can be- I _will_ be- happy at any of these schools. For that reason, my absolute happiness at any of them is dependent upon how close you will be. Wherever you go, my decision will be based on that."

Gabriella tilted her head and gave him a soft smile before leaning in a giving him a kiss. When she pulled back, she picked up her wine glass and took a sip. After a moment of thoughtful silence, she finally broke it. "I think I may want to take a trip east..." she mused.

"For what?" he asked, squinting his eyebrows in confusion.

"To visit the University of Georgia for myself. It is ranked number thirty-four in the nation for law schools."

"Only you would know that without your computer handy to look it up," he said teasingly, causing her to wink at him knowingly and he smiled at her in return.

"I'll try and set that trip up for us for early next month. We can spend some time in Atlanta as a vacation while we're out there."

"That's sounds great!"

**TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF**

The next day, Maria was due home from her business trip. So on that bright, warm Thursday afternoon, Gabriella made the solo trip to the airport. As she picked her purse up from the spot on the couch where it was resting, she spotted Troy in the kitchen leaning against the counter and turned to face him.

"Are you sure you don't want company?" he asked. "I know how much you hate airport traffic."

"Um, no..." she started, scratching the back of her head- a nervous habit she picked up from spending so much time with Troy over the years. "I'll be okay."

"Why are you so nervous?" he asked, as he pushed himself off the counter and took the few steps in her direction so that he was standing in front of her. He placed his hands on her waist and pulled her to him, placing a kiss to her forehead.

"I honestly don't know. I mean, Mom's been your cheerleader for several years now, so I know she'll be ecstatic for us to be back together. I guess it's more the 'I told you so' that I'm not looking forward to."

"Yeah, you've never been very good at admitting when you're wrong," he teased. "Ow! Hey!" he exclaimed when she reached up to his bare chest and twisted his nipple causing him to rub it to sooth the area. He chuckled. "I never imagined you to be so violent..." he mused.

"I've _got_ to go!" Gabriella told him in between loving pecks as she struggled to set herself free from his grasp. Finally Troy gave up the fight and let her go... but only because he had to get in the shower before his shift at the restaurant.

"We're not through, Montez!" he hollered down the hall over his shoulder.

"Keep telling yourself that, Bolton!" she yelled back, followed by a giggle, as she walked out the door.

Forty-five minutes later, Gabriella stood at the baggage claim carousel that matched her mom's flight number. She was anxiously pacing, feeling the nerves full force now that the moment of truth was upon her, and she wasn't sure why.

"Okay, Gabriella... This is silly. Why are you nervous to tell your mom that you were wrong- Oh, yeah. _That's_ why."

"Talking to yourself again, Sweetheart?"

Gabriella jumped at the sound of her mother's voice behind her.

"Mom!" Her eyes widened in surprise as she took in her mother's tired and ragged appearance from flying. "Your flight got in late," she pointed out.

"Um, no it didn't. I've been standing here for five minutes watching you pace back and forth. Why are you pacing, Mija?"

"I... um... I kind of have... Coffee?" Gabriella stammered.

"You have coffee?" Maria raised her eyebrows in confusion.

"No! No, that's not what I meant. Mom, let's go get some coffee. I know how tired you get when you travel."

"Can I get a welcome home hug first?" Maria joked, holding her arms out to her daughter, who gladly accepted them and almost knocked her mother over with the force of the hug.

"I've missed you, Mom!" Gabriella exclaimed.

"I've missed you, too, Sweetheart."

"Now... coffee!" Gabriella declared, pulling back from the hug and leading the way to the Starbucks that was located inside the airport, causing her mom to furrow her eyebrows in confusion, pick up her own bag and follow suit. She was indeed curious about Gabriella's odd behavior, but decided against asking her about it... for now.

After the two ladies had their drinks and were seated at a table near the window, Maria spoke first.

"Do you want to share?" she asked her daughter.

"Share what?" Gabriella responded, playing dumb.

"Briella, you're a very smart, very brilliant young lady. Playing dumb is not a good look on you. You're hiding something. What happened while I was gone?"

"Um... well, Mom... while you were gone this past week, I- kind of- well, I had a realization," Gabriella started, as she lowered her eyes to look at the top of her cup.

"Of what sort?" Maria tilted her head to try and meet her daughter's gaze, getting the feeling that this piece of news was something serious.

"I um... I realized that I was wrong about something."

"And what's that?" Maria prompted.

"Troy," Gabriella said softly. She looked up just in time to spy Maria trying hard to not look smug. "What?"

"What, what?"

"What's that look for?"

"Nothing. I'm just trying hard to not say-"

"-that you told me so?" Gabriella interrupted. "Go ahead and say it, Mom. I know you're just dying to."

"No. No, I'm not going to say that I told you so. It was something that you had come to realize on your own and I'm not going to lie and say that I'm not glad, because I am over the moon! But I will ask what prompted you to come to this realization?"

Gabriella sighed as she pondered her mom's question and the right way to answer. "You know, Mom, if I have to be honest, I'd have to say that I really don't know. It was like one day I wanted to date other guys and see what was out there and the next I just... I wasn't happy. I couldn't quite put my finger on it at first, but the afternoon of Troy's graduation, Jack and Lucille came by the apartment and they both talked to Troy and I separately. I guess it was just something that they both said in their own way that just kinda hit me and made me realize that the reason why I wasn't happy was because I was wandering around blind, so to speak. The next day, I talked to Troy and told him that I knew what I wanted and we just kinda... well, got back together. I don't know how else to say that to make it sound grown up, but that's what happened."

"What exactly did Jack and Lucille say to you?"

"Well, nothing and everything, I guess. Pretty much the same thing that you've been saying, but in a different way," Gabriella confessed.

"Sometimes it just takes saying the same thing with a different perspective to make you realize what everyone else had been saying," Maria pointed out in a knowing manner.

"And that's exactly what happened, Mom," she admitted. "I guess I owe you an apology, too."

"For what?" Maria asked as she reached across the table to grasp her daughter's hand in her own.

"Well, for not listening. For thinking that I know everything there is to know. For putting you in the middle of everything between me and Troy. There's so much!" Gabriella lowered her eyes in shame once more to study the paper cup she held in her hands.

"Honey, look at me. Please?" Maria waited until Gabriella reluctantly raised her eyes and met hers before she continued. "Life is full of choices and lessons that must be learned as a result of said choices. I love you more than anything in this world and it's for that reason that I can say what I'm about to say: this particular choice was probably one of the dumbest you've ever made and the lesson you learned is one of the most valuable. As long as you're happy when it's all said and done, I think I can forgive you for not listening, for being a know-it-all, and for making me a human ping-pong ball."

"You want to know something that just really made me realize that I was doing the right thing in going back to him and made me realize how stupid I was in doubting him to begin with?" Gabriella asked.

"What's that?" Maria sat back in her seat and enjoyed seeing the light radiating in her daughter's eyes once more. It had been a long month and a half and she was elated to see her animated daughter come back to life.

"When we were talking that night on the couch, he got up and went into his room and came back with a box in his hand."

Maria felt her breath catch in her throat. _A box? _she asked herself. _Surely he didn't... _"A box?" She attempted to clear the lump in her throat with discretion.

"It was a ring box, Mama!" Gabriella continued in an excited whisper. "He's had a ring all this time! He told me he's not telling me when or how, but that he does have a plan." Gabriella watched Maria's face and was surprised when she noticed the knowing smirk that was staring back at her. "You knew?!" she squealed, only to cover her mouth and duck her head while her cheeks burned red when she noticed several people surrounding them turning to stare.

Maria slowly nodded. "He came to me about... let's see..." she paused to do fast mental math. "...maybe about four or five months ago? Not long after Christmas. Anyway, he came to me and asked for my blessing. 'Since Mr. Montez is not here, I come to you in his memory to ask for your blessing...' It was the sweetest thing he had ever said to me..." Maria allowed her voice to trail off as the memory of the lunch Troy treated her to overtook her mind. "I remember thinking that he's so incredibly lucky to have never met Gabriel."

"Daddy would have tortured him...!" Gabriella said with a sneaky grin.

"But yet loved him at the same time," Maria said.

"One of those behind the scenes kind of love, but when you're out in the open...?"

"I can see your daddy as having been... oh, how can I describe him? Very gruff and tough on the exterior whenever Troy is around- the silent intimidator, if you will- but a great big teddy bear when it would be just the two of us- always talking about how much he loved the way Troy loves you and how thrilled he is that you found someone who worships the ground you walk on."

"He probably wouldn't have moved from that tacky Lazy Boy with his newspaper in front of his face whenever Troy came around."

The two women laughed as they reminisced about the late Gabriel Montez, and then quickly became silent for a moment out of respect.

"What do you say we go back to the apartment and I can properly welcome Troy back into our lives? Besides, I want us all to go out tonight for dinner, so let's go make sure everyone is ready to go," Maria suggested after a moment.

"That sounds good!" Gabriella agreed. The two women stood from their spots and together gathered Maria's bags. As they were exiting the Starbucks, Gabriella stopped in her tracks and turned to give her mom a proper hug.

"I'm so glad you're home, Mom. I've missed you. I'm sorry for the past few weeks and I love you."

"I love you, too, Mija. And as for the past few weeks, they're in the past, okay? How about we don't talk about that period of time anymore?" Maria said as she reached a hand up to cup Gabriella's right cheek and placed a kiss to her left.

"I'll drink to that!" Gabriella told her and giggled at Maria's typical motherly response of "just don't drink too much to that". Neither woman could wipe the smiles off their faces as they headed toward their car and back to a man they both loved dearly.


	26. Deja New

**Hello, yall! I posted this chapter last night, but the only review I got was from a guest reader who questioned all the crazy Chinese symbols. I didn't know what she was talking about, so adcgordon confirmed this craziness for me. Thank you, both of you, for pointing this out to me. I don't speak Chinese, so I don't know where they came from! Crazy FanFiction... Anyway, here's a (hopefully!) corrected chapter 26 for yall's reading pleasure! Enjoy! :-)**

**Chapter 26: Deja New**

The rest of May and first part of June sped by for the young couple. Gabriella's graduation ceremony and the subsequent celebration came and went, as did the official acceptances from Emory University and the University of Georgia. The big white envelopes from both schools came on the same day and the two opened them at the same time, knowing what was inside. It only took minutes for them to pull out their calendars for the decision to be made: the following week, they would make the trip to Georgia to look for apartments- they had decided that with the hour and a half, almost two hour distance, it would be best for them to have separate apartments- and in the middle of July, the moves would be finalized.

However, the week after their initial trip to Georgia, an unexpected wrench was thrown into their plans in the form of a simple phone call.

That June afternoon, Gabriella returned to the apartment after work and noticed the blinking green dot on the answering machine. She crossed the room and kicked off her heels before heading to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of wine and hit the laybutton on the machine as she passed it.

"So glad this day is over...she murmured to herself as she reached into the cabinet for a glass.

"_Yes, this message is for Gabriella Montez. Miss Montez, this is Leyla Edwards calling from the Burton Law Firm in Charleston, SC. Mr. Burton is an alum of the Stanford Law School and he saw your name and picture in the most recent issue of their quarterly newsletter. Apparently, your stellar GPA caught his attention and he would like to bring you to Charleston- all expenses paid- to discuss with you the possibility of a position with our firm..._

Upon hearing those words, Gabriella froze in the middle of her task of uncorking the new bottle.

"Whaaaaaat? She put the corkscrew down and walked the few feet back to the table where the machine sat. She stood in front of it and stared, as if she were looking directly at the person on the other end, as Leyla continued with her message. When the woman's voice stopped, Gabriella slowly turned and walked back into the kitchen in a daze to finally pour her glass of Pinot Noir.

"Oh, dear," she said as she took her first sip- which was actually more of a gulp- and got lost in her thoughts. After a few blank moments, she remembered her dinner date with her mom and looked at the clock on the microwave. She picked up her glass and walked into her room to quickly change her clothes, before grabbing her keys and rushing out of the apartment, leaving her half-drunk glass of wine on the kitchen counter.

**TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF**

As Gabriella rambled on about her day and why she was on glass number three of wine since she arrived at Maria's house, it suddenly occurred to her that her mom hadn't said much since they sat down.

"...and then they asked me where I kept the monkeys' cage at night and how long did it take me to help them kick their dirty smoking habit and teach them to turn flips whenever they felt the urge to light up instead... She changed tactics mid-story in hopes of getting her mom's attention, to no avail.

"Mom?she asked, waving her hand in front of Maria's face and finally gaining her mother's attention.

"Hmmm? Maria raised her eyebrows, turning her full attention on her daughter.

"You've been kind of spacy since I got here.

"No, I haven't,Maria quickly denied the accusation.

"Really? So you found my story about the frog eating hippopotamus entertaining?"

"Quite entertaining!Maria told her with a chuckle.

"Mom, I never said a word about a hippo. Is everything okay? Gabriella took in the faraway look on Maria's face and the way she held her chin in her hand, studying her daughter.

"What are you hiding?Maria blurted out.

"What?Gabriella asked, shocked yet again at the fact that her mom could see right through her.

"You're hiding something."

"What are you talking about? No, I'm not,Gabriella argued.

"Honey, I know you,Maria told her.

"You're right. Gabriella conceded, knowing she couldn't hide the message from the Burton Law Firm forever. She picked up her glass and took a sip, gaining courage from the deep red liquid before telling her mom about the potential job offer that she received on the answering machine that afternoon. Once she finished rattling off her mental pro-con list in true Gabriella fashion, Maria wasn't smiling.

"So? What do you think, Mom? I know it's across the country, but it could potentially be a great opportunity."

Maria said nothing. She sat stoic, without a nod, head shake... nothing.

"What?Gabriella asked slowly, not sure if she wanted to hear the answer or not.

"What about your decision to attend graduate school at Emory? Maria tested the water before diving in.

"Well, I don't have this job, yet. If it doesn't pan out I would still attend Emory. If it does..." Gabriella's voice faded slightly as she tried to read her mother nearly agitated yet hurt face.

"What does Troy think about this? Maria got her answer when Gabriella looked down at the table. She exhaled deeply before continuing with a question she already had the answer to. "He doesn't know about this yet does he?"

"I just got the message today. I haven't had a chance to-she began tentatively.

"No," Maria interrupted, shaking her head vigorously. Don't you dare sit there and make excuses. You could have called me to reschedule this dinner and stayed home to talk to him. I won't buy that excuse this time, Gabriella. You say you love him, and that he matters more than anyone else in your life. Is that true? After what you've been through... what you've put him through, is that true?"

"Yes," Gabriella responded without a second's hesitation.

"Then you leave this house right now and you go talk to him.

"But Mom-"

"Eh!" Maria held her hand up to stop Gabriella's protest. "Go" ,she instructed with a simple point in the direction of the door.

"Are you angry?" Gabriella asked in a timid voice.

"Only because of the way you're treating him. I know you aren't selfish, Mija. But talking to Troy should have been your first priority after hearing that message. You're still punishing him because he hasn't proposed to you. He does _not_ deserve that, Gabriella. If he means that much to you, then- at this point in your lives- this kind of decision is one that you both need to be making _together_."

"Mama, I'm blown away by this offer. I', still in a daze and trying to wrap my own head around it. I haven't told him because I know what he'll say. He'll tell me to take the job because it's a great opportunity for me. I'm not _punishing_ him. I just... this time I don't need his support and encouragement _**if**_ that's not how he really feels. I need him to stand up to me and tell me he doesn't _want_ me to take the job, if that's the case. I need him to want to be my life, not just my support crew. Yes, I want to marry him and we talked about that and I understand why he's waiting. But I need him to understand that having him with me- just having _him_- is a great opportunity, too, for both of us."

Maria held both of her daughter's hands in her own, forcing her to listen. "Then tell him that, honey. Exactly what you've told me, Mija, tell Troy. And make him listen. Use that Montez backbone and those attorney skills that you've been blessed with and _make_ him listen to you." She squeezed Gabriella's hands in hopes that her point was fully hitting home.

"Will you tell me what you think? About the job offer, I mean?" Gabriella asked. Maria took one look at her daughter and no longer saw the young girl who became an adult a lot sooner than she was ready to admit. In her place, she saw the seven year old who was giggling as she stood on her daddy's feet as they danced across the living room. Maria gave a soft smile as she looked Gabriella in her eyes.

"When you come back here, with Troy, and tell me what the two of you have decided, then I'll give you my opinion."

"Thank you," she said, as she stood and leaned across the table, giving Maria a hug. The two walked to the foyer and Gabriella took a few deep breaths as she picked up her purse. "Ok," she said, as she turned to face her mom. "It's Montez versus Bolton."

"Go," Maria said as she held her daughter at arms-length and gave her a supportive smile. "Get that case underway," she said with a wink, causing Gabriella to roll her eyes. "But use your heart in this case, Sweetheart. Listen to it and to Troy, too," Maria added with a gentle but firm look.

"Bye, Mom."

**TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF**

When she returned to the apartment complex and pulled her car into a parking spot, she sat there in the beauty of the dusk evening for a few moments, collecting her thoughts before grabbing her purse and escaping the comfort of her car. At the top of the steps she stood in front of the door, slid her key into the lock, took a deep breath and released it slowly, then turned the key. Gabriella gently pushed the door open and spotted Troy sitting on the sofa- a plate of half-eaten dinner and a bottle of water in front of him on the coffee table- and the television on. She recognized the sounds of a baseball game and paused to look at the screen long enough to notice that the San Francisco Giants were playing host to the Atlanta Braves.

"Hi,she greeted him, leaning down to give him a kiss to the cheek as she ran her hand through his hair, taking in the look in his eyes as she stood back up to her full height. It was a look she had never seen before and she was hesitant to ask her next question, but knew she needed to. "What's going on?"

"Not much," he said as he took a sip of his water. She couldn't help but notice that his response was very one syllable and monotone and knew that he used that tone when he was trying to keep calm and not overreact about a situation. She gave a small nod and walked into the kitchen to get a water for herself. As she leaned into the refrigerator, her glass of wine from earlier caught her eye. _Odd_, she thought to herself. _Troy would usually pour what I didn't drink back in the bottle instead of leaving it out._ She closed the door and froze when she heard his voice again, with her back still to the living room. "There's a message on the machine for you."

"Oh," was the only sound she could force out after a long shock-filled pause as she walked over to the machine. She placed her finger on the play button and before she could push down on it, he stopped her.

"Next time you want to hide something like that from me, make sure you rewind it so the light will stop blinking. That way I won't think it's a new message and won't have to hear it myself."

Gabriella took a deep breath and swallowed, forcing herself to keep calm, before answering, his clipped tone catching her off guard. "I wasn't _trying_ to hide that from you, Troy," she finally responded softly.

"Weren't you?" Gabriella turned around to face him and could tell just by looking into his eyes that he was hurt. "If you weren't trying to hide it, why didn't you call your mom to reschedule and stay here to talk to me about it?" The fact that he was still speaking monotone didn't go unnoticed by her, either.

"That's exactly what she said," she pointed out, lifting one shoulder in a half shrug.

"Your mom and I are a lot alike, I guess."

Gabriella let out a deep sigh and took her finger off the button on the machine. Who was she kidding? She didn't need to hear the message again; she knew what it said and she knew he knew what it said. She came to sit next to him on the couch and drew her feet up under her as she turned to face him.

"Okay. Let's talk about it," she said.

"What do you want to talk about?"

"You know what, Troy. The message."

For the first time since she got home, Troy turned to look at her and with one glance was able to take in the stress that the message must have caused her. He sighed and turned off the television and turned his body so he, too, was facing her and reached out to take her small hand in his, linking their fingers together. He then reached up with his other hand and pushed a stray curl behind her ear, offering what support he could with that one gesture.

"I'm listening," he assured her.

Gabriella took a deep breath before she started. "Don't tell me it's a great opportunity, Troy," she said softly as she looked into his eyes, trying to read what was being conveyed beyond the blue. "I already know that. I'm not stupid."

"I didn't say you were and I never would say that," he told her with an emphatic shake of his head as he fought to keep his voice level. "What do you want me to say?"

"I want you to look beyond what's good for _me_. Tell me what's in your heart. I don't care- for now- what your head says. I know what your head says. I want to know the first thing that you thought - with your heart - when you heard that message. You are a factor in my decision. I won't make this decision without you. This affects us, together. So, please, be honest with me. Tell me what your first thought was when you heard that message."

"I didn't think, Gabriella," he told her honestly. "I couldn't think because my heart dropped to my stomach and my head started pounding. When I _could_ think again, all that came to my mind was that I can't let you go... not again. The last few months have been pure hell. You are not just my best friend, not just my girlfriend and lover. You are the love of my life and I'll be damned if I'm gonna let you go again."

Gabriella smiled to herself as she took in the way he had just bared his soul with her. She reached up to run her fingers through his tousled hair again.

"Do you mean that?" she asked.

"My heart wants to," he assured her.

"And that's what I want to know. What does your heart want? For our future, Troy, what does your heart want?"

"To marry you, have a family with you, and make our lives together," he told her without hesitation.

"You _know_ that's what I want too, right?" she asked, as she ran her thumb over his knuckles, keeping a tight grip on his hand. When Troy silently nodded while keeping his eyes locked to hers, she continued. "I know... you want what's best for me and you've been saying that you want us to be on a strong path for our careers. I want that, too. But more than that, I want us to be on a strong path for _us_. The past couple of months I've realized that, Troy. You are what's best for me. I need you with me and I need to be with you. Because I know that if we're together then we'll figure out the rest of it... together."

Troy bit his lip to try and hide his emotions. "Do you know how much it means to hear you say that?"

Gabriella chuckled under her breath to try and help him ward off the heartfelt feelings that were pressing to come out. "What, that we're all in this together?" she questioned as she swiped a couple of drops from beneath Troy's eyes.

Troy's rolling eyes and matching chuckle brought smiles to both their faces. He shook his head and placed his hand against her cheek. "No. Just me and you together this time, making this decision together."

Gabriella's eyelids closed softly over her dark eyes for just a moment as she practically reveled in the feel of his hand on her skin. "Together," she whispered before opening her eyes to his now more content and excited appearance.

"Then here's my idea," he started. "We go to Charleston- _together_- for this trip. Yours is paid for- the message said so. I'll come up with mine somehow. But we go and check it out _together_. We make this decision _together_. Your job, but _our_ future. What are your thoughts about that?"

"My initial thought?" she confirmed, receiving a nod in response. "What about a job for you?"

"There you go, always thinking of others first," he joked. "Don't worry about that; I can find something. Therapists can be in almost any area- schools, hospitals, private practices... There's a medical college there, right?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"Then I'll get my Masters there. I've told you, location really doesn't matter as long as I'm close to you. I've been saying I want to do that, anyway, right? Point is, I'm sure there are plenty of opportunities for me there. I can find something. But let's take it one step at a time. If the outcome of this job interview determines where we live, then I should probably be there, too, and we can check out Charleston _together_,he said, emphasizing his point yet again. If the area isn't for us for some reason- or even if you meet this Mr. Burton and just don't click-, then there's nothing that says you have to take the job if one is offered."

Gabriella took in his excitement and pursed her lips. She released a deep, contemplative sigh as she processed everything he just said. "Worst case scenario, I get interview experience and we get a partially paid for vacation to a city that neither of us have ever seen," she said, adding her two cents to the conversation.

"Exactly. We can even incorporate it into our trip to Atlanta. Visit both places- job interview and visit the schools- and keep all of our options open," he pointed out. Gabriella grinned as she watched the wheels continue to spin in his head, enjoying the sparkle in his eyes that reminded her so much of the picture that Lucille kept hanging in the foyer of the Bolton home of a six year old Troy who was missing his two front teeth.

"There's nothing that says we have to start school in August," Troy continued. "This kind of decision may take the whole summer and we won't know definitely what we're doing until September or later. If that's the case, we defer enrollment for a year and start next fall." He stopped for just a moment to give her a grin of his own as he watched the way her eyes sparkled. He was sure it matched his own. "So... what do you think?"

After another deep breath to steady her nerves, Gabriella nodded. "I say let's do it. I'll call Mr. Burton's office tomorrow and get everything set up. Nothing ventured and all that, right?"

"A fresh start," Troy told her as he wrapped his arms around her and rested his forehead against hers. "Just you and me," he told her with a wink, before leaning in to seal the deal with a kiss.


	27. Finders Keepers

**Chapter 27: Finders Keepers**

In July, the trip to Charleston and the interview with Keith Burton took place. He and Gabriella departed ways with the understanding that she would contact him by the end of the week with her decision. Upon their return to California, Troy and Gabriella were able to fully discuss their thoughts. It took one particularly heated argument one evening for Gabriella to finally make the call to Mr. Burton the next morning.

"I know why you're putting off this decision," Troy told her in the midst of the argument. "You're procrastinating because you're scared."

"Scared?" she scoffed in disbelief. "Scared of what, Troy? I'm the one out of the two of us who has lived in eight different cities in my life, who has gone to four different schools between the grades of eight through twelve. How can you sit there and tell me that I'm scared of yet another move to yet another city?" she demanded, her voice rising slightly throughout her argument.

"I'm not talking about the move, Gabriella," he told her exasperatedly, trying hard to keep his voice level and not yell.

"Then please, by all means, tell me... what exactly is it that I am scared of, Oh, Wise One?" she bitterly demanded.

"You're scared of being in a whole new city on the complete opposite side of the country as our parents alone with just me. You're thinking to yourself _'what if I freak and run from him again?' _and that scares the _**crap**_ out of you." Despite his best efforts to keep his voice level, Troy finally lost the battle and practically yelled the last part of his statement, causing Gabriella to freeze in her tracks, shocked at his accusation.

Her jaw dropped as she stared daggers at Troy. "I can't believe you think so little of me," she said, her words barely above a whisper. She spun on her heel and stormed out the door of the apartment. When it slammed behind her, Troy's spoken words finally registered in his mind.

"Ah, damnit, Bolton! Where the hell did that come from?!" he asked himself.

He gave Gabriella about twenty minutes to calm down before he went to looking for her, finally finding her sitting in one of the swings in the courtyard of the apartment complex. He knelt down in the grass in front of her and after he poured his heart out to her in apology and made sure she knew that he knew he reacted like a jerk, she finally admitted to him that she had decided to turn down the job about two days prior. What had her scared was the call she would have to make to Mr. Burton to let him know.

"I just keep thinking _'what if I'm turning down the best career opportunity that I'll ever come across?'_" she admitted. "That's why I haven't made the call to him yet."

"Babe, listen to me..." he started, as he reached up to wipe away a tear that he wasn't sure if she knew had fallen or not "...we're going to Atlanta. After hearing you say you're going to turn down the job in Charleston, I feel pretty certain in saying that's where we'll be in two months. Atlanta is a much, much bigger city than Charleston and I can almost guarantee you that there are more- if not better- attorneys there. You, my dear, are not going to go without a job. Do you hear what I'm saying?"

She framed his face with her hands and gave him a small kiss. "And I can guarantee you that I can't wait to be in Georgia with you. Charleston was insanely beautiful and I'm so glad that we took the four days that we did. But it's not for us, you know?"

"You do know that if you change your mind, all you have to do is say the word and I'll pack us up myself. I'll even take the time to lovingly hand wrap any knick-knack collectables that I'm sure we'll posses over the years in bubble wrap. I'll gladly take you anywhere, as long as you're happy."

"I can't tell you what it means to me to hear you say that," she told him. "But for right now- for the next three or four years- Georgia is where we need to be."

And the next morning, Gabriella made the call to Mr. Burton, thanking him for his consideration of her, for his time in interviewing her, and for his understanding in the reason for her turning down the job. It was for this reason that by the middle of September, both parts of the Bolton-Montez couple were settled in their respective apartments and graduate schools in Georgia.

The first semester of classes for both was a stressful one. Not only were they dealing with the transition of not living together any longer, but they also were dealing with classes within their respective Master's programs. Gabriella was uncharacteristically having a hard time adjusting and found herself more often than not during that first month and a half unable to spend quality time with Troy when he came for the weekend and blowing him off more and more for her studies. Finally, around the beginning of November, she found her routine and the tension eased for the two, which was why she was looking forward to the upcoming Christmas break when they would be traveling back to Albuquerque together. Classes weren't set to resume until the second week of January, granting them almost a month of relaxation with their families- Maria would fly in on Christmas Eve and stay until the day after New Year's- and the few friends who were still around.

"Do you think it's coming soon?" Taylor asked Gabriella one afternoon three days before Christmas during a shopping trip. The two girls still had a few items on the Christmas lists and decided to take a much needed girls trip to the local mall in hopes of completing their tasks.

"Do I think what's coming soon?" Gabriella asked in return. She had been rummaging through her purse, thereby almost missing the look Taylor was giving her. Taylor cleared her throat to get her friend's attention and Gabriella looked up to see that Taylor had stopped in her tracks and was pointing above her head at the Kay Jewelers sign, giving Gabriella a pointed look. Gabriella turned to look over her shoulder to see what her friend was pointing at and gave her a pointed look of her own and rolled her eyes in response.

"Taylor..." she said, warningly.

"Hey, I'm not interfering this time!" Taylor's defense was genuine as she held her hands up. "I'm just trying to invoke some girl talk."

"Fine," Gabriella told her and softened her stance. "Do I think the ring is coming soon?" she repeated the question and waited on Taylor's head nod before she continued. "I really don't know, actually. Troy's a... a hard book to read sometimes." The two started walking again before Gabriella completed her thought. "I mean, I won't lie... I'm ready. After what happened this spring, I'm more than ready. Obviously, I don't think a wedding will come for probably another year or so from the proposal itself, but still. I'm ready. I'm ready to plan, I'm ready to stress, I'm ready to... well, I don't know. I'm just ready!" It was hard for Gabriella to contain her giddiness as she gave a little jump around and squealed, causing Taylor to laugh at her best friend.

"Girl, we need to get you some decaf!"

With that, Taylor grabbed Gabriella's hand and led the way to the nearby Boba Tea at the food court for a brief break.

**TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF**

Later that evening when they returned from the mall, Taylor and Gabriella met Chad and Troy back at the Bolton's. Lucille was in the midst of preparing the hamburger patties that would later be grilled by Jack for dinner when the girls arrived and after the appropriate greetings, Gabriella attempted to sneak away into Troy's room with the bags which contained the presents for her mom, Jack and Lucille. Troy however wasn't willing to let her away so easily.

"Babe, where are you going?" he asked, as he reached out to wrap an arm around her middle to stop her as she passed by him sitting on one of the kitchen stools at the island.

"To hide these." She held the bags up to show him what she was talking about.

"But baby..." Troy whined, trying to pull her closer still. "I haven't seen you all day!" He was unsuccessful in his attempts to hold on to her. Gabriella found a good way to ward off stress throughout the rough first semester was in the gym and had become a lot stronger than she was at her graduation just six months prior. Therefore, she was able to push him away a lot easier than in the past.

"I'll only be gone for a minute," she said over her shoulder in a _well, duh_ tone as she walked in the direction of his high school bedroom.

"Dude, the quicker you let her go, the quicker she'll come back!" Chad told him teasingly as he wrapped his own arms around Taylor and held her close to his side. She released a soft chuckle as she dipped a chip into the homemade ranch dip that Lucille was famous for. The three watched as Lucille rolled her eyes and shook her head at her son's dramatics.

"I don't have to put up with you three!" Troy pouted as he stood from the stool at the bartop and walked into the living room.

"Ever the drama queen..." she muttered under her breath.

"I heard that, Mama!" he called from his spot where he was slouched on the couch pouting, earning laughs from the other three who stood mere feet from him.

Several minutes had passed and Gabriella had yet to emerge from Troy's room and he was getting concerned.

_What could be keeping her?_ he thought to himself as he kept looking over his shoulder in the direction of the bedroom. He tried to go unnoticed in his secret glances, but Chad knew him too well. Just when he was discreetly stealing yet another look over his right shoulder in the direction that his girlfriend had disappeared moments before, Chad came into the room and plopped down next to him on his left.

"What's on your mind, Hoops?"

"Geez! Don't do that!" Troy grabbed at the left side of his chest above where his heart sat and turned his attention to his best friend. "She's been in there for a while," he said, glancing over the back of the couch yet again in the direction of his old room. "Do you think she's okay?"

"Dude, she's fine. She's just trying to find a good hiding place, that's all," Chad told him.

"I'm going to check on her." Troy started to stand but Chad's hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"No, you're not." Troy's questioning look caused an exasperated sigh to escape from Chad. "Hoops, man, if you go in that room now, you two will never come out. Let me go check on her." He gave Troy a manly pat on the back and walked off in the direction of the bedroom before Troy could argue again.

**TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF**

The sight that greeted Chad when he walked into Troy's bedroom was unexpected. He looked around until he saw Gabriella to his left, sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of the closet. That wasn't what was surprising, though; what was surprising was what she held in her lap- Troy's old East High basketball bag that he brought back to Jack and Lucille's when he made the move to Athens... the one that was currently home to the engagement ring that Troy showed to Chad when he first obtained possession of it from Maria a year ago.

"Gabster?" he said softly to get her attention, causing her to jump in her spot on the floor.

"Chad?" she said in an almost whisper.

"Whatcha got there?" he asked.

"This is it... this is the same box he showed me." She looked up at Chad in an attempt to read his expression. When he raised his eyebrows in response, she rushed on. "I wasn't snooping, I swear! I was putting the presents up on his shelf and the bag fell. As I was putting all the clothes back in, the ring box fell out."

"The ring box...ring... box...I'm still not getting it," Chad told her, shaking his head slowly as he tried to play dumb.

"C'mon Chad. I know you know about this. He can't keep something like this from you, of all people!"

"Did you open it?" he asked after pondering her statement.

"No!" Gabriella's eyes went wide as she shook her head violently in hopes to get him to believe her.

Chad nodded his head. "But you know what's in it?"

"Sort of..." she said with a shrug as she allowed her voice to trail off in thought, then brought her eyes up to meet his, frantic. "I just need you to tell me if Troy has plans to propose to me or not," she begged.

"Well of course he's going to propose to you. Who else would he propose to?" Chad asked incredulously.

"Chad, you lunkhead!" Gabriella chided, picking a shirt up from beside her on the floor and throwing it at him. Chad's reflexes were still as quick as they were in high school and caught the fabric before it hit him square in the face, causing him to throw it back at her in retaliation with a chuckle. "Can you be serious about this?"

"I am being serious." Chad looked over his shoulder at the door, checking to see that the coast was still clear before lowering his voice and continuing as he leaned down to take the bag from her lap and stood to put it back on the shelf. "You and I both know - and you've known this longer than me - that Hoops is head over heels for you. He would've proposed at high school graduation but all three of your parents would've killed him on the spot. You guys have talked about your future. Even with all the crap that Tay caused and the whole mess a few months ago, you know it's Troy Bolton who has your heart. You know he has a plan for it," he said, tapping the box that she held gently in her hands as he sat back down in his spot next to her on the floor. "He's had a plan for two years now."

"So the ring I found..." she started while holding up the box that was still clutched in her hand, stopping her question only when she felt tears fill her eyes.

Chad nodded, confirming her suspicion. "First of all, you didn't hear it from me. Second, you'd better act surprised!" he warned.

Gabriella closed her eyes and took a deep breath and released it slowly. She opened her eyes and gave him a small smile. "Hey, Chad?"

"What?"

"Don't tell me anything else," she requested, shaking her head.

"Just one more thing that I'm telling you... this conversation-" he wagged his finger between the two of them "-never happened. Hoops would nail me to the backboard if he even thought-"

"No! You're right. Don't worry, he'll never know. I'm not going to say a word. It's just...he has a plan? He's had a plan for _two years_?!" she asked once more, allowing the slightest hint of a smile to grace her soft features.

"Mmm-mmm," he said, miming zipping his lips. "I'm not saying anything else."

"I didn't look at it," she rushed to defend herself once more.

"Don't worry, Gabs. I won't say anything." Chad stood and reached his hand out to take hers and help her up. "Now what do you say we go back out there, huh? Hoops is getting pretty antsy waiting on you."

Gabriella laughed a little, imagining the scene that Chad had just described to her. She placed a gentle hand on his elbow, causing him to release the grasp he had on the door knob and turn to face her again. "Hey, big brother?"

"Whaaaaaat?" Chad mocked whined.

Gabriella reached out to wrap her arms around his neck. "Thanks. I love you!"

Chad squeezed Gabriella, returning the hug. "Only for you Gabster. I love you too!"

Troy heard the hushed tones coming from the direction of the bedroom when the two finally emerged and turned to face his best friend and his girlfriend. He watched as Gabriella separated herself from Chad, Taylor, and Lucille and made her way over to the couch where he was sitting. She reached down and took his hands in hers and pulled him up to a standing position. He stood there as she reached up and wrapped her hands around his neck, pulling him into a tight hug and squeezing with all her might. She then stood on her tiptoes and gave him a passionate- yet brief and gentle- kiss to his lips. Troy licked his lips in hopes of tasting any of her sweetness lingering there.

"What was that for?" he asked. "Not that I'm complaining, but..."

"Just because I love you," she told him with a soft knowing smile as she bit her lip.

"Enough of that, you two," Jack called in their direction, giving them a wink as he came in through the back door. "Come on in here and help your mom finish up. The burgers will be done in about five minutes."

"I love you, too," he responded, giving her another peck before he led her into the kitchen to join everyone else in the dinner preparations.

**TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF**

1:37 am. That's what the bright green numbers read that stared back at him from his bedside table when Chad was awoken by the sound of his phone ringing. He blinked and rubbed his eyes in attempt to clear the sleep away and get his mind to focus as he reached for the loud device that dared disturb him. He sighed, seeing Gabriella's name on the screen. He swiped his finger across the screen of his Samsung Galaxy S3, accepting the call.

"Gabs?" he croaked. "It's almost two in the morning. What are you doing?"

"_At the party-"_ she began, without so much as a hello.

"-is where Tay & I had our first date 6 years ago," he said.

"_Chad!"_ she reprimanded.

"What? You're the one being cryptic here at-" he paused to take another look at the clock "-1:39 in the morning."

"_I couldn't sleep. I've been thinking about the ring and I've made a decision."_

"I'm almost afraid to ask..."

"_I'm going to beat him to it."_

Hearing those words come from her mouth on the other end of the phone caused Chad to sit upright in his bed, turning on his light and suddenly wide awake.

"_Chad?"_ she said, to get his attention when no words came from his mouth. _"Are you still there?"_

"What are you talking about?"

"_I've been trying to come up with the perfect way to make up to Troy for the distress I caused for that month we were apart. He won't say it, but I'm pretty sure he still has some lingering questions and doubt. This is how I can prove to him that he's the one I love. He's the one I want to be with."_

Chad took a moment to let her words sink in. "So I'm assuming you're planning something?"

"_Yes. For the New Year's Eve party next week at Jack & Lucille's,"_ Gabriella confirmed.

Chad released a sigh as he rubbed his eyes with one hand. "Do I want to know?" he asked, his curiosity piqued.

"_Well, you have to know, because I'm going to need your help making it work." _

Chad raised his eyebrows and allowed a brief pause. "Ok, I'm listening."

"_I need your help because... I'm going to propose to Troy."_


	28. Chad Danforth, Super Hero

**Chapter 28: Chad Danforth, Super Hero**

_Surely she's not serious... _Chad blinked silently, dumbfounded by her words until the sound of Gabriella's voice broke through his thoughts.

"_Chad?"_

"What did you say?" Chad asked.

"_I'm going to propose to Troy," _Gabriella repeated, a little slower to make certain he heard- and understood- through his sleepy state of mind.

"I'm assuming you have a plan?" He repeated his question from just moments before as he sat up farther in his bed and leaned against his headboard, giving Gabriella his full attention. Knowing Gabriella, he had his answer, but he wanted to hear the words come from her mouth.

"_I do have a plan and I need your help with it. Can we meet for breakfast? I know this is early, but say the IHOP near the high school at 7:00? That way I can be back before Troy wakes up."_

"What if he wakes up while you're gone?"

"_I'll tell him I woke up and went to the gym or something. Who knows, maybe I will go to the gym to work off the chocolate chip pancakes, so that way it won't be a total lie."_

"Fine," he said with a sigh. "But only if you promise to hang up right now and let me go to sleep. If you do that, I'll meet you there," he told her, rubbing his tired eyes. His answer earned him a girly squeal in his ear, to which he groaned in response. "Why must you be so perky?"

"_Great! I knew I could count on you!" _she told him excitedly, ignoring his question.

"I haven't agreed to help yet."

"_Fair enough. Night, Chad. See you in a few hours!"_

Chad grunted in response and hung up his phone without a proper goodbye. He had a feeling that in just a few hours, he was going to be privy to some information that would forever change his best friend's life... for the better.

**TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF**

The next morning, a very exhausted Chad met an all too cheerful Gabriella as planned. They sat in a corner booth and after a round of excited jibber-jabber nonsense on her part and about half a cup of caffeinated coffee in his system, he was ready to hear her plan.

"Alright, spill it," he commanded between yawns.

"Spill what?"

"Don't play coy with me, Montez. I know you too well. You say you have a plan and you need my help. Let's hear it."

"Well, it's simple really," she began and proceeded to tell him everything that was on her mind, her eyes twinkling as bright as the Christmas lights that hung around the outside perimeter of the restaurant. When she finished, the grin on his face was a wide as the Mississippi, the twinkle in his own eyes matching hers, despite his efforts to hide it. Taking a deep breath, she posed a question to him that she was almost afraid to ask. "What do you think?"

Chad toyed with the idea of dragging her along and making her think it was a bad idea and that she should just wait on Troy to do it himself he knew the plan and timing Hoops had in mind and was wondering if he should let anything interfere with it; given all the stress Troy had gone through to make it perfect for her. The look in her eyes, however, won and Chad couldn't contain his own excitement and envisioning the look on his best friend's face when Gabriella carried out her plan.

"I think it's great!" He spoke with excitement, but much more softly than normal.

"Really?" she asked, fighting to keep the trepidation out of her voice.

"Really! It's simple and to the point, yet eloquent at the same time. He'll love it!"

"Eloquent, Chad?" Gabriella asked, wrinkling her eyebrows in confusion.

"Yeah. You know fancy... tasteful... Eloquent."

"Um, hon, I think you mean ele-_gant," _she provided, enunciating the correct pronunciation of the second syllable.

"Maybe?" he questioned with his own confusion but waved his hand to try to bypass the simple vocabulary snafu.

Gabriella released a small chuckle at her friend's naïvety. Chad watched Gabriella closely as she released the breath that she had been holding and it was at that moment that it dawned on him how much his approval of her plan meant to her. If he liked it, surely Troy would, too. He reached across the table and gently took Gabriella's hand in his, giving it a small squeeze.

"Hey? he said, trying to get her attention. When she looked up from the table to his face, he continued. "I think you're doing a good thing. This plan... it's perfect for Troy. And yes, I'll help you in getting him there and away from the party at the right time in any way I can."

The smile that broke across her face was enough to make Chad grin back at her in response. "I just need him to know, you know? No doubts, no regrets. Just me and Troy, the way it's supposed to be. Thank you, Chad!"

**TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF**

Chad knew he and Gabriella would need at least one other person involved for Gabriella's plan to come off without a hitch. And it was for that reason that he enlisted the help of the only other person he could think of who had just as much emotional interest in this relationship as he did- the one and only Taylor McKessie.

Knowing he was potentially treading on dangerous territory- given the events of the previous Spring- Chad took a deep breath and found the all too familiar number in his phone and hit the green button, waiting anxiously for her to answer.

"_Hello?"_

"We need your help,he told her over the phone later that afternoon as he released the breath he had been holding.

"_What?"_ she asked.

"We need your help, he repeated.

"_Who?"_

"What is it with you and the twenty questions, woman?!" he snapped at her, getting exasperated. "Me and Gabriella need your help!"

"_First of all, I've only asked two questions, not twenty. Secondly, the wording you're looking for is 'Gabriella and __**I'**__,"_ she corrected, in true Taylor fashion.

"Now is not that time for a grammar lesson!" he practically yelled. Taking a deep breath, he ran his hands through his no-longer bushy hair and tapped the phone against his forehead a few times as he calmed himself down before continuing. "Look, Gabriella and _**I**_ need your help with something. No questions right now. Just meet me at Starbucks near the Bio Park in a couple of hours and I'll fill you in on everything."

**TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF **

"Ok, so like I said, Hoops wants simple. Chad and Taylor were currently sitting across from each other at an outside table at the local Starbucks. For late December, it was an uncharacteristically warm early afternoon in Albuquerque, so the two were taking advantage of the sunshine. "He has mentioned that he wants just the two of them alone for a few minutes up there- leading up to midnight, so they can spend some time together, away from the party and everyone- and then as the countdown begins in the house, he'll just flat out ask. No pomp and circumstance, no fanfare, just a simple 'I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?' type of moment."

"Okay," Taylor nodded, "Simple and romantic. Just like Troy. And oh so fitting for it to be at midnight, too!"

"Exactly," Chad agreed, pointing at her. They both knew what midnight on New Year's Eve meant for their best friends. "Now, if Gabster needs help getting set up for whatever her plan is in the few minutes leading up to _that_... That's where you come in."

"Why am I in charge of set up?" Taylor questioned.

"Because I'm in charge of making sure Troy is where he's supposed to be at 11:55. Now, knowing her, her side of it is going to be a little bit more complicated."

"She's probably going to want champagne or something," Taylor added, watching Chad shake his head in response. "What? Why are you shaking your head?"

"No. No champagne. She wants the two of them to remember the moment, not be tipsy and guess on the details after the fact. But music. Definitely music."

Taylor chuckled as she allowed herself to have a momentary out-of-body experience and actually took time to listen to their conversation. "This is so odd," she said, with a small smile gracing her features.

"What is?" Chad asked as he took a sip of his drink.

"Gabriella has always been so traditional," she pointed out. "Why is _she_ wanting to propose? I mean, what you said about her wanting to make it up to him makes sense, but it's just not like her."

"All the more reason that he'll be surprised."

"I like it," she pointed out. "I never thought I would like sneaking around like you and Troy used to do, but I do. This is so fun!"

"Now you know why we always did- it's the adrenaline." The two shared a smile at the memories of high school and all the pranks the two basketball players would play on everyone. Chad took a sip of his drink and spewed it all over Taylor when a thought suddenly occurred to him as his eyes grew wide with excitement.

"Hey!" she exclaimed, reaching for a napkin to wipe off her face. "What was that for?"

"You'll be my Bond girl!" Chad told her with a smirk, causing Taylor to roll her eyes.

"Whatever, Chad. You'll never be as suave as Pierce Brosnan," Taylor told him, taking a sip of her own drink.

"You're right, I won't. I'm more of a Roger Moore type," he stated, puffing out his chest in a manly fashion and flexing the biceps that he had worked hard the past four years to develop more than they were in high school to.

Taylor rolled her eyes again. "Yes, because you're _just_ that cool. Besides, I'm more like one of Charlie's Angels- more brains _and_ beauty than the Bond bimbos," she stated coyly, as she took a sip of her drink and caught Chad's incredulous stare over the lid of her cup. Taylor gave Chad a wink and a smile before continuing with their current conversation. "Now, let's talk tactics here. What exactly is Troy planning?"

"Simple," he told her with a nod of his head. "Very simple. He wants some candles in the tree house, a blanket-"

"That doesn't sound safe," Taylor said, immediately going into her typical play-it-safe mode.

Chad, however, held his hands up defense. "Hey, I'm trusting Hoops on this. I'd say that we can assume and be correct in the fact that he and Gabster have had candles up there before without burning the place down."

"Wow. Well, that's true." Taylor shook her head slightly to rid herself of the thoughts of their friends and things that had probably already happened in Troy's tree house. "Okay, okay... so candles, a blanket... What else?"

"Nothing except for Gabriella at the stroke of midnight!" Chad told her while wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. He chuckled when Taylor threw her napkin at him.

"Get your mind out of the gutter, Danforth!" she ordered in good nature.

Chad laughed again and gave a mock pout. "You're no fun!" he complained, playfully.

Taylor took a pensive sip, and her tone changed to one of remorse with her next statement. "I just know this has to be perfect, for both of them. _**I **_want this to be perfect for both of them- no matter which one of them proposes."

Chad took in the look in her eyes- the faraway, regretful look that he had become familiar with in the past few years- and reached across the table to take her hand in his, giving it a small, reassuring squeeze. "I know you do. Which is why I want you to help me... help us. We are invested in their future, too, Tay. I know this means a lot to you- other than the fact of how special it is for Troy and Gabster, it's also going to be special for you."

"Yeah. I just want the best for her, Chad," Taylor told him softly, looking at the lid of her cup. "For them."

"I know," he said, rubbing his thumb over her knuckles. "And you know that Hoops is the best for her, right?"

"I didn't want to admit it, but yeah, he is." Taylor looked up and allowed her eyes to meet Chad's, giving him a small smile. "He loves her and she loves him. Now if only I can find the man that truly loves me and isn't just laying the groundwork for his career and future as a sportscaster..."

"Now don't you go and get all mushy on me!" he warned.

"Hey let a girl dream, will you!"

"Sorry," held his hands up in front of him in surrender.

"No, I'm done." She lowered her eyes back to the cup in front of her, lost in her own thoughts of the romantic relationship gone bad with the person sitting in front of her.

"Hey, look at me," he told her. When she lifted her eyes to meet his, he continued. "It'll happen for you one day. And when it does, he'll be a very lucky man."

"Chad, do you ever wonder- what if our 'one day' passed us by and we were both too stubborn to see it?"

Chad took a moment to allow himself to get lost in her eyes. To his surprise, it felt just like two years ago, before he messed everything up and she finally broke up with him.

"Sometimes," he admitted quietly.

After a moment of silence, Taylor gave a thoughtful sigh. "Can we come back to that conversation later?" she asked, not surprised at all by the look on Chad's face when the words hit his ears; she was just as surprised to hear them come from her mouth herself. "It just wasn't our time back then, I suppose." The two shared a meaningful, reminiscent look. "Wel... , we um... we better get back to the scheming plans. What do you need from me?" she asked, stumbling to change the subject back to their original topic.

"We uh, yeah" Chad sat back for a second to collect his thoughts and tried to read Taylor's own shocked expression. "Well," he started with a gentle swallow, "I need you to be a girl and try to find out the mushy details that Gabriella has planned. If you can at least do that much, I'll take it from there."

"So wait, if you want me to find out the details from Gabriella, will you find them out from Troy?"

"I already know all that," he told her. "He wants it to be simple. Like I said, just them, in the tree house."

"How's he planning on getting her up there in the middle of the party? You know that she's not going to want to miss it. The New Year's party has always been so important to her."

"That's the part that's up to us. The party is a big deal, yeah, but them being together is what it's all about, really. We can work out the timing and all that other stuff once we have Gabriella's info," Chad told her with a smirk in his voice. "So what do you say? Will you help me?"

"If you're playing the role of 007, then just call me 008!" Taylor told him, her face brightening up at the thought of playing the proverbial matchmaker to two of her best friends.

Chad released a sigh and rolled his eyes. "Tay, there was no 008."

"Do you want my help or not?"

"Yes," Chad said as he rubbed his eyes.

"Then shut up and let me call myself whatever I want!" she commanded, the smugness in her voice not lost on him as she gulped down the rest of her drink.

"Ay, ay, ay. What have I gotten myself into plotting and scheming with her again?" he asked, directing the question to no one in particular, causing Taylor to break out into a fit of giggles.

**TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF**

Later that evening after dinner, Chad stepped out into the backyard of his parents' house for some fresh air so he could process his coffee date with Taylor. He took that opportunity to call Gabriella and give her the good news. As he sat out on the back porch looking out over the landscaping and the pool, he thought back to his conversation and the squeal of delight that left him temporarily deaf.

"_I'm so excited! I can't wait for the New Year's Eve party!" she told him._

"_Oh, and while I'm thinking about it... I uh... I've enlisted some help," he told her hesitantly. He knew she and Taylor had made amends, but still wasn't sure to what point. He prayed that Gabriella would be okay with Taylor helping._

"_Who?"_

"_Taylor."_

"_She's in, too?"_

"_Yeah. Yeah, she's in."_

_The 't__hank God' that he heard reassured him that he had made a good decision by recruiting Taylor to join the romantic scheme and he released a deep breath in thanksgiving._

"_So now you can help me without Troy knowing."_

"_But wait... Gabs, I'm already helping you by helping Troy and making him think that he's the one-" He immideately stopped talking when he realized he was on the verge of giving away an important piece of the puzzle. "I'm sorry, but I'm confused," he quickly covered. **How am I going to help both of you at the same time? **he thought to himself._

The ringing of his phone in his pocket brought him from his memory and back to present time. He glanced at the screen and the picture of his own ex-girlfriend that was staring back at him. Suddenly, an idea occurred to him, causing him to smile. He swiped his finger across the screen and brought the device to his ear.

"Hey," he answered. "I'm glad you called."

"_Really? It's been a long time since you said that to me."_

"That's not true, Tay, and you know it," he told her.

"_No, it is true, Chad and __**you**__ know that,"_ she reminded him.

"Well, yeah. I've been meaning to talk to you lately, but um, I'll come back to that in a few minutes. Let's go back to this afternoon's discussion."

"_What about it?" _she asked.

"I think I need help," he blurted.

"_Already, Chad? What did you do?"_ she demanded. _"This is so like you! We don't have a plan yet and you're already screwing it up!"_

"Taylor!" he shouted to get her attention.

"_What?"_

"Will you stop talking and let me do some of it, please?"

Taylor sighed, admitting her defeat... this round. "_F__ine."_

"Thank you," he breathed. "Now, have you talked to your recently renewed b-f-f today?"

"_The one who is still leery of me but is trying...and the one whose boyfriend can just barely say my actual name instead of calling me something vulgar?"_ she asked in clarification.

"Yeah, that's the one." Chad nodded, knowing she wasn't able to see him. "Have you talked to her today?"

"_No. Why?"_ Taylor asked.

Chad proceeded to tell her about his conversation with Gabriella just an hour before. "Now how am I supposed to help her and Hoops both?" he asked, his voice laced with panic. "In order for me to play both sides and not accidentally let something slip to the other, I need your help."

"_Just tell Gabriella you can't help her."_

"Are you _nuts_?!" Chad exclaimed. He leaned forward on the edge of his seat as he continued. "I can't back out now! If I change my mind then she's gonna get more suspicious. She's already found the engagement ring she knows it's here in Albuquerque as it is!"

"_Wait, what?!"_ Taylor exclaimed in response. _"How did she...wait, nevermind. One thing at a time here." _

Chad released a sigh as he started working through all the details out loud. "Look, Gabriella knows Troy is planning on proposing; she just doesn't know when or how. _She_ is planning on proposing on New Year's Eve, not knowing that's when _Troy_ is planning on doing it, too. Both of them want my help in setting up. That's where the trouble comes in."

They're both quiet for a couple of minutes as they both wrack their brains. Chad listened as Taylor began alternating between mumbling and humming to herself... a sure fire sign that she was deep in thought. Finally, she stopped and released a deep breath.

"_Actually, Chad,"_ she said, _"this is the perfect time for you to use all of that Super Hero Detective- Secret Agent stuff that you used to play! Sounds like you get to be a Double Agent after all!"_

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Taylor!"

"_You're welcome!"_ she said with a giggle. _"Besides, I'll be your partner in crime this time, remember? What could go wrong with the McKessie-Danforth team in charge?!"_ Taylor added.

"I believe you mean Danforth-McKessie," Chad attempted to put his name first in the mix.

"Ah-ah-ahh," Taylor scolded. "You asked for my help, so my name goes first!" She laughed again, imagining Chad rolling his eyes, before hanging up, leaving Chad to groan in frustration.

"We can do this," he said to himself. "It's for Hoops and Gabster. My friends need help and I'm going to do what I can to help them. I've got a history of scheming... I can do this... We can do this." He sighed and made a mental note to call Taylor tomorrow for lunch to discuss ideas on helping their friends. He stood up from the glider chair and went back inside the house, making sure to turn off the light and lock the French doors behind him.


	29. All Your Life

**Alright, my lovely readers... the end has come. It has been a long journey, but we're finally here. Thank you to everyone who has stuck by me as I struggled through getting this story not only written, but uploaded as well. (And by the way, please let me know if the crazy Chinese symbols are back. I read through it before posting to make sure, but still... With this being the last chapter, I want it to be perfect!) Enjoy, yall!**

**Chapter 29: All Your Life**

The night had come. Chad and Taylor spent many hours within the previous eight days coming up with a plan of how to make the dual proposal come into fruition. Christmas had come and gone and tonight, it was time to put all their hard work of scheming, plotting, and planning to good use.

The music was flowing through the speakers that Troy had helped Jack set up in the backyard earlier in the afternoon, the lights brightened up the backyard like runway lights, and the backyard was littered with guests. The Boltons' New Year's Eve party had become the event to attend ever since Troy's senior year of high school, after the family took their trip to Colorado and he met Gabriella at the teen party. For this reason, the whole Wildcat gang made sure they were in town for the big party- Jason, Kelsi, Sharpay and Ryan, Zeke, Martha... In Chad's opinion, that just made this particular New Year's Eve even better- this way, everyone would be there shortly after midnight when Troy and Gabriella made the big announcement.

For the twentieth time in the past hour, Chad checked his watch... a motion that did not go unnoticed by Sharpay. Seeing the small hand stationed on the ten and the big hand on the five- both of which seemed to be frozen in their spots-, he sighed deeply and turned his back on the rest of the group, speaking softly to Taylor who was standing beside him.

"Here's hoping this hour and a half passes much quicker then the past hour and a half," he said as he lifted his bottle of Sam Adams and took a quick sip, causing Taylor to raise her eyebrows and give a small nod in agreement.

"Shhh..." she told him as she glanced over his shoulder. "They're coming this way."

"Hey, guys," Gabriella greeted them as she and Troy approached. The group shared hugs and greetings and after a few minutes of catching up and laughter, Troy reached his hand out to Taylor.

"Hey, Taylor? Can I borrow you for a minute?"

"Yeah, sure." She grabbed his hand and allowed him to pull her away from the group, giving Chad a look over her shoulder.

When the two were out of earshot, Gabriella turned her attention to Chad while the chatter resumed among the rest of the group.

"So everything's set?" she asked him while taking a sip of her own drink, trying to not draw attention from the rest of the group.

"It will be," he told her. "The plan is that at 11:30- right before our annual New Year's shot- I'll sneak up to the tree house and make sure everything is set for you. Taylor will help in distracting Troy; with the rest of the group here, it should be easy. While we're having our shot with Jason, Zeke, and Ryan at 11:45, he'll be distracted enough for you to sneak up there. After the shot- at 11:50-, I'll tell him you're waiting up there for him for a few minutes of peace before the ball drops and countdown and all that."

Little did the two realize, halfway through Chad's recount of his plan, Sharpay overheard and silently signaled the rest of the group to quiet down, causing the chatter to die down. Gabriella walked off to visit with her mom's sister and two cousins who had made the trip from Texas to celebrate the holidays with Maria and Gabriella. Once she left the group, Sharpay turned her attention to Chad.

"Well?" she asked.

"Well, what?"

"What was that about?" Zeke spoke up, pointing the tip of his bottle in Gabriella's direction.

"I... um... she was um..." Chad stammered. Thinking on his feet had never been his best quality. That was how he found himself in detention so often in high school- he was never able to talk his way out of trouble.

"Don't try and talk your way out of this one, Chad," Ryan said. "We all know you're no good at it and you'll spill the beans eventually."

"Might as well save yourself and all of us some time and spill then now, Danforth. What's going on?" Sharpay demanded as she clutched her clear acrylic cup filled with her drink of choice, taking on the role of ring leader- a role that was the most natural one she could ever play and enjoys every minute of every time she steps into that role.

"Sharpay, please- for the love of all things holy- I beg you to not force me to talk right now," Chad told her as he rubbed his forehead.

"Chad-" Sharpay started, being cut off by Chad.

"Guys, look, I promise you... everything will be known in approximately-" he paused as he checked his watch "-an hour and fifteen minutes. Okay? I promise."

When he heard murmurs of "fine" and "whatever" and "if you say so", Chad excused himself when he saw Taylor and Troy walking back in their direction.

"Hey, Hoops, Gabster is over... well, she was right over there with her aunt and cousins, but they're not now. I'm not sure where she is."

"It's all good, Man. I'll find her," Troy told him as he walked off, leaving Taylor and Chad alone.

"What was that all about?" he asked, as he turned his attention to Taylor.

"He was telling me about his plan, trying to get my help in getting her to the tree house a few minutes before midnight."

"Are you serious?" Chad asked through his laughter.

"As a heart attack," she told him fighting off her own smile. "He showed me the ring."

"What'd you think?"

"It's gorgeous," she said with a dreamy look.

"It used to be her mom's, you know," Chad pointed out. "It's the same ring Mr. Montez gave to Mrs. Montez when he proposed to her."

"That's what he told me. I think it's a perfect way to honor her dad."

"Yeah..." The two stood in silence for a moment in a way of honoring Mr. Montez during their conversation. Finally, Chad let out a breath, took a sip of his drink, and looked at his watch again. "Ah, geez... you mean we are just now reaching the hour mark? I think this is the slowest this party has ever gone."

"You have your phone, right?" Taylor checked.

"Yeah, right here in my pocket."

"Make sure you text me at 11:20 and let me know where you and Troy are. I'm going to go find the group and talk to them for a bit."

"Sounds good. Oh, and hey, be careful. Sharpay knows something's up and is on the warpath to find out," Chad warned.

"Oh, man! Lord, give me strength!" Taylor closed her eyes and tilted her head to the sky, taking a deep breath. "Okay. I'm good. I can face her. Thanks for the warning." She took a sip of her drink to gather her courage and walked away, headed in the direction of their other friends.

**TGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGFTGF**

Chad gave a soft sigh of relief as he took advantage of Troy paying attention to what Ryan was saying about the musical he was currently working on and sneaked a peak at his watch- _again_- and finally saw the numbers he had been longing to see all night... 11:20. It was time to put Operation: Engagement in motion.

He looked around the backyard to see if he could spot her and was glad when he did. She was standing on the back patio, talking to Gabriella, Sharpay, and Kelsi. Somehow, she much have known he was looking for her. She looked up mid-laugh and their eyes met across the yard. He held his phone up a tiny bit, making sure she saw it and she gave a slight nod of her head, letting him know she was ready. When her phone vibrated in her back pocket just a few seconds later, she pulled it out and read the words that appeared on her screen.

"Hey, there's Lucille's mom. I'm going to say hi. I'll catch up with you girls in a bit," Gabriella announced, before walking off.

Taylor nodded her acknowledgment before reading the incoming text. _By the swing set. Ready whenever you are._

She sent a quick confirmation text of "_I'm ready. Be there in a minute" _before making up an excuse to the other girls.

"Hey, ladies, I've got to help set up..." Taylor stopped what she was saying, her thumb stuck in the air pointing in the direction of where Chad was standing with the guys, as she realized that she was about to give something away. "I've got to go take care of something before the countdown begins. I'll catch up with you all in a little bit." She quickly walked off, hoping none of the other girls noticed her slight slip of the tongue. However, she was not as lucky as she had hoped.

"Well, that was odd," Sharpay spoke up.

"What was?" Kelsi asked as she looked up from her own phone and slipped it in her back pocket.

"You weren't paying attention, were you?" Sharpay asked.

"Sharpay, I was paying attention and I'm confused on what was so odd about Taylor a minute ago," Martha spoke up.

"Oh, good grief; you girls are hopeless!" Sharpay exclaimed. "Okay, let's recap... About an hour ago, Gabriella approached Chad and the two of them were talking in hushed tones while Troy pulled Taylor away at the same time... like each couple was sharing some sort of secret that they didn't want the rest of us to know or something. Just a minute ago, I spotted Chad over there-" she paused when she pointed across the yard to where the guys were standing and her eyes narrowed as the wheels continued to spin in her head "-but he's not there now." She shook her head in an attempt to focus once more before continuing her recap to Kelsi and Martha. "Anyway, Chad _was_ standing over there with the rest of the guys and I watched as he pulled his phone from his pocket and Taylor then pulled hers out, apparently reading a text that he sent. That's when she made up some sort of excuse about needing to 'take care of something', but not before slipping up and saying something about needing to help set up something. Now the big question is: if helping set up something is what she was going to say, what exactly is she helping to set up and why can't we know about it?"

"Hey, Sharpay, I've been meaning to ask you something," Martha spoke up, taking advantage of Sharpay's rare look of concentration which usually indicates that she's not paying attention to the current happenings around her.

Sharpay turned her attention to Martha and Kelsi once more. "What?"

"How exactly is the acting world treating you here in Albuquerque?"

"It's okay," she said with a shrug. "Not as great as I hoped, but I mean... Why do you ask?"

"Because it appears to me like you have way too much time on your hands if your standing here and playing spy instead of enjoying the Boltons' party," Martha told her, causing Kelsi to let out a snort of laughter into her cup as she took a sip.

"Martha!" Sharpay exclaimed with indignation in her voice.

"Look, just calm down. Okay? Chad told us that it will all be revealed in just a little bit. Be patient. Now I know that's something you're not used to, but..." Martha teased, waving her hand in the air, causing Sharpay to gasp and call out to her brother.

"Ryan! They're picking on me!"

"Congratulations, ladies," Ryan said as he, Zeke, and Jason approached them. Sharpay allowed herself to be wrapped in Zeke's arms as she spotted Chad climbing the ladder to the tree house and Taylor pulling Troy away from Gabriella and his beloved Nonnie.

"Okay, does anyone else not find that suspicious? Why is Chad climbing into the tree house while Taylor pulls Troy from Gabriella, and Gabriella is walking up to-"

"Sharpay?"

Sharpay jumped as she heard Gabriella's voice behind her, causing the rest of the group to break into laughter.

"Does something have you confused?"

"No, Gabriella. Something does not have me _confused_," Sharpay answered, her voice laced with slight irritation as she worked hard to fight off the blush that was trying to break through.

"Good. We wouldn't want your pretty little head to be all mixed up, now would we?" Gabriella asked, as she reached a hand up to teasingly pat Sharpay on the head. When she pulled her hand away, she sneaked a peak at her watch... an action which did not go unnoticed by Kelsi.

_11:42._ _It's almost time._ _What's taking Chad so long?_ _He should be here by now!_ she thought to herself, making the choice to not take notice of the butterflies that had suddenly decided to appear.

"Gentlemen..." Chad's voice greeted the group, causing Gabriella to jump slightly. "It's almost time for our shot. Let's go find Hoops and leave the ladies alone for a few minutes."

"Okay, I think Sharpay may be onto something," Martha whispered to Kelsi using her cup to shield her mouth. "Did you notice the way Gabriella jumped when Chad walked up just then?"

"I did," Kelsi whispered in response. "Did you also see how she tried to be subtle in checking her watch? Guess what, girlfriend? Subtly has never been your best trait!"

The two girls tapped their Solo cups against each other in agreement and watched the four guys walk off in search of Troy as Gabriella kept a close eye on them. Three minutes later- just a few seconds after Taylor rejoined the girls-, she watched as their male counterparts took up temporary residence near the far end of the basketball court with a bottle of tequila, their cups, and other necessary supplies and waited for the signal from Chad. When he stepped beside Troy and slapped his hand on his friend's shoulder and gently turned him without much resistance so their back was to the group of girls, Gabriella took her cue and sneakily slipped away, hoping no one would notice.

Sharpay, however, was quicker than she was and caught up to Gabriella fifteen feet away from the rest of the girls.

"Alright, spill it," she demanded as she got in step with Gabriella.

"Sharpay, look," Gabriella started as she stopped and turned to face her friend, taking her hands in her own. "I know that you know something's up. But please, I _beg_ you, drop it for now." She stopped to sneak a peak at her watch again and one over Sharpay's shoulder just in time to see the guys tip their heads back as the warm tequila hit their throats. "In just a few minutes- about fifteen, actually- everyone will know everything. I _promise_. Just please let me go take care of what I need to take care of and that way, it will all happen quicker and you'll find out much faster."

Sharpay rolled her eyes with a sigh and muttered an "okay, fine", causing Gabriella to give her a quick hug as she turned in the direction of the tree house, yelling a "thank you" over her shoulder as she broke into a jog.

When she reached the base of the tree and reached just above her head to grasp the rungs of the ladder, she glanced over to where the guys had been standing and noticed that Troy and Chad were the only two left; the others had already joined the girls, as had Taylor. Chad caught her eye across the lawn and lifted his head slightly while looking up at the tree house- his silent way of telling her to "get up there already; I can only stall him for so long!" Gabriella gave a small nod letting him know that she got the hint and quickly climbed the ladder.

Once she was safely up there, she took the brief moment of solitude to look around at the work her friends had done on her behalf. The fifty or so candles basking the small space in a brilliant glow... the blankets and pillows that were spread out on the floor... the docking station with her iPod plugged in, softly playing the play list she created of their songs throughout the week leading up to this night... the tray of chocolate covered strawberries... the bottle of sparkling cider chilling in the bucket of ice... She felt her eyes well up and her throat tighten as she took it all in. It was perfect; everything she had hoped this night would be. She quickly wiped at her eyes and swallowed the lump.

"Crying is not an option right now, Gabriella. Keep it together until after," she ordered herself as she took another peak at her watch. "Seven minutes to midnight. C'mon, Chad... where are you guys?" Suddenly, Troy's voice at the bottom of the ladder brought her out of her haze and forced her to concentrate on her task at hand. She quietly made her way to lean against the wall and slowly peaked around the doorway and saw Chad looking up at her, with Troy's back to her.

"You really don't know where she is? It's almost midnight! What about our kiss and the pro-?"

"Dude," Chad interjected before Troy could finish that word, knowing Gabriella was listening. They had come this far; he couldn't risk her finding out about Troy's plan now. "Quite being such a girl about the kiss, alright? You'll find her before midnight, okay?"

"But we only have... six minutes to go. Look at this crowd, Chad. I'll never find her before midnight."

"I'll tell you what," Chad started, putting a hand on Troy's shoulder. "You go on up there and get ready for midnight. I'll go find her real quick and send her up to you."

Gabriella didn't hear the rest of the conversation. She had already quickly moved from her spot near the door to where the iPod was and scrolled through it until she found "All Your Life" by The Band Perry. As the first few strands of the song sounded through the speakers of the docking station, she stood in the middle of the small room and waited for the the love of her life to climb the ladder. She didn't have to wait long; it was only about ten seconds later when she heard Troy climb over the top of the ladder and his feet hit the boards that made up the floor of the tree house. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves and watched as he appeared in the doorway and looked around, fully taking in the sight that greeted him.

He noticed the candles... he noticed the tray of strawberries... he noticed the bottle of cider in the bucket... he noticed the music... he noticed the blankets and pillows... but most importantly, he noticed his girlfriend, standing in the center of the room before him with a nervous smile on her face as their eyes met.

"You wanted it to be a surprise," she told him, surprised at the amount of confidence that greeted her ears.

It only took a few steps for him to be standing in front of her. "Oh, my God," he said with a small smile as the realization of what she was referencing occurred to him.

It was at that moment that she knelt down on both knees in front of him and his breathing increased.

"Troy," she began "in all my life, I never thought I'd be so lucky-" She stopped mid-sentence and lowered her head, causing her dark curls to fall forward and frame her face. As she used both hands to brush the curls back, the pesky lump made its appearance in her throat once more and she sniffled, trying to keep the tears at bay. She picked up from where she left off and continued with what she wanted to say, although the tears were making it extremely difficult. "-as to... fall in love with my best... my best..." She stopped again and let out a silent sob, trying to compose herself. Finally, she gave up the fight. "There's a reason why girls don't do this!" she exclaimed, as she waved her hands in front of her face, fanning at her tear-filled eyes.

"Okay, okay, okay," Troy reassured her, as he finally knelt before her on the floor, taking her hands in his. "I'll do it."

"Gabriella, I thought..." Troy's face scrunched up as he, too, fought off the emotions that were raging inside of him and brought a hand up to rub his face, trying to get himself under control. "No, I can do this. I can do this," he muttered, causing Gabriella to sniffle once more and chuckle. "I thought it mattered what I said or where I said it. But then I realized that only thing that matters is that you... you make me happier than I ever thought I could be. And if you let me, I will spend the rest of my life trying to make you feel the same way."

Troy freed his hands from Gabriella's grasp long enough to reach in his pocket and pull out the small velvet box that had been sitting there all night long, just itching to be pulled out. When Gabriella caught sight of what he held, she covered her mouth with both of her hands and chuckled with yet another sniffle. As Troy opened the box and she recognized the ring, she gasped gently and wrapped her arms around her middle.

"Gabriella," he began softly, "will you marry me?"

Gabriella looked deep into Troy's blue eyes and watched as they danced with hope. She thought about teasing him- "Hey that was supposed to be my line tonight"- but just couldn't bring herself to do so. He looked so happy, so hopeful, so full of love. All she could do was just say the one syllable that she wanted to badly to scream.

"Yes," she breathed, covering her mouth to hide her giggle.

Troy grinned as he took her left hand and slipped the ring onto her finger. Once it was snugly in place, she threw her arms around his neck- both of them rising higher on their knees- and pulled him down so his mouth met hers in a brief yet loving and passionate kiss. He pulled back and wrapped her in his arms and held her tight, until Chad's voice broke the moment from down below.

"Hey, you guys!" he yelled up the ladder. "You wanna come out and share some news? We're all dying out here! Ow, Sharpay! Damnit, woman... keep your hands to yourself, will ya'?!"

Troy looked at Gabriella and shook his head at his friend's antics. "Are you ready to face everyone?"

"I am," she told him with a small smile. "I'm ready to introduce the world to my fiance." She gently placed a hand on his chest and stood up on her tip toes so she could better reach his lips. "I love you," she whispered.

"I love you, too," he responded.

He took her hand in his and led her outside the tree house. They stood out on the landing and leaned against the railing, hand in hand. To their surprise, the party had not stopped. Lucille, Maria, and Taylor's moms were walking around to the patrons of the party, handing out noise makers. Troy looked at his watch and noticed that it was 11:58, and then looked down at the ground. Gathered at the base of the tree were their friends: Chad and Taylor, Zeke and Sharpay, Ryan and Kelsi, Jason, and Martha all looked up at them expectantly.

"Well?" Taylor asked, bouncing excitedly on the balls of her feet.

Gabriella shared a look with Troy and smiled before looking down at everyone.

"We're engaged!" she announced, jumping up and down.

"Yeah, you are!" Chad yelled as the gang broke out into cheers.

Troy stepped away from Gabriella's side long enough to go grab the bottle of sparkling cider. The countdown started as he worked the cork and just as the crowd reached two, the cork popped and everyone in the backyard turned in the direction of the sound. The sight that greeted them all was a joyous celebration from the young Wildcats. Maria and Lucille shared a questioning look and Jack let out a low whistle.

"Well I'll be damned," Jack muttered. "He did it."

"You think?" Lucille questioned her of her husband.

"I know. Look at the way she's looking at him and the sparkle in her eyes," he pointed out.

"And on her hand," Maria said, contributing her two cents as the three of them watched the young couple.

"You know, I could have helped plan, too," Sharpay said.

"Will you just hush and help us celebrate, Sharpay?" Chad instructed. Sharpay looked from Chad, to Taylor, before looking up at Troy and Gabriella. It only took one look to notice the pure joy on her friends' faces before the smile spread on her own face.

The crowd around them rang in 2013 while the three parents continued watching their children celebrate with their friends. Troy looked up and caught his father's eyes and lifted his head in greeting before he leaned down to whisper something to Gabriella. She lifted her head and looked in the direction he was pointing and met the eyes of her own mother. Troy repositioned himself so he wrap his arms around her from behind, taking a sip of his cider before placing a gentle kiss to her temple. Gabriella brought her hand up to her bosom in front of her and waved her fingers, showing the ring that now had a permanent home. Maria smiled in response and fought back the tears that filled her eyes. She couldn't remember a time when the smile on her daughter's face matched the one that Gabriella currently wore; this one was the most radiant smile she had ever seen grace Gabriella's soft features.

"It looks like we have a wedding to plan," she heard Lucille say from beside her.

"That it does," the other mom said in response, her tone just as wistful as her friend's. She took a deep breath, a sip of her champagne, and gave a tearful smile. _She did it, Gabriel. She found her forever._ "That it does indeed."


End file.
